CancerCompass message board discussion started by Happy2share on 3/17/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,22074,0.htm Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ First thing is get to the NIH National Institutes of Health. Immunotherapy is the big thing, IL-2 , also CTL-a4 (MDX)  The chemo for this and the name starts with a D couldn't spell it. These thing have worked for me. Each did great things but never just cleaned me up totally, Untill the chemo. Did they work well together? or was it only the chemo? Not sure but 1 Lite area in all trials scans, stopped after the chemo.The next thing was filing for disability!! gave me time to fly to the hospital every 2-3 weeks for treatment, without worring about making a livin.If your doctor isn't talking about one of the items above, get the hell away from him/her.They are many trial, just check to see if the NIH is involved.Interferon? (spelling) is a joke for the most part, unless something has changed in the last 3 years.The staff a the NIH are great, I fly from Tamapa FL to BWI airport 48 round trips. I would get there around 12:00pm and by 5:30 -Full CT, Brain MRI, blood-work, sometimes a chest x-ray, would be done in that amount of time.......Real pros..... Good Luck,Everytime you get 6 months..you get closer to a cure.Doug Happy2share Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT I'm glad to read that your scans are clean.  My sister has been diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma - her lungs and liver are involved, no brain mets, thank goodness.  She is asymptomatic and we're unsure how to proceed.  She has had a small, but enough, progression on Carboltaxol with Sorafnib that she's no longer eligible for that study.  Trying to decide what to do next.  Any input you have would be wonderful.  Congratulations.  Anne. Equine Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 3/17/2008 Happy2share wrote:First thing is get to the NIH National Institutes of Health. Immunotherapy is the big thing, IL-2 , also CTL-a4 (MDX)  The chemo for this and the name starts with a D couldn't spell it. These thing have worked for me. Each did great things but never just cleaned me up totally, Untill the chemo. Did they work well together? or was it only the chemo? Not sure but 1 Lite area in all trials scans, stopped after the chemo.The next thing was filing for disability!! gave me time to fly to the hospital every 2-3 weeks for treatment, without worring about making a livin.If your doctor isn't talking about one of the items above, get the hell away from him/her.They are many trial, just check to see if the NIH is involved.Interferon? (spelling) is a joke for the most part, unless something has changed in the last 3 years.The staff a the NIH are great, I fly from Tamapa FL to BWI airport 48 round trips. I would get there around 12:00pm and by 5:30 -Full CT, Brain MRI, blood-work, sometimes a chest x-ray, would be done in that amount of time.......Real pros..... Good Luck,Everytime you get 6 months..you get closer to a cure.Doug Your message gives me hope.  I'm about to start IL2 treatments on Monday, Mar 24th and I'm terrified.  How did you get through the treatments?  How many cycles did you have?  How advanced was your melanoma when you started IL2? Judi JudiLG Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT