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Staph

(6,377 posts)
4. I also have endometrial cancer.
Wed Apr 14, 2021, 08:24 PM
Apr 2021

Original diagnosis in 2013 (surgery/chemo/radiation), returning with an inoperable tumor near my upper intestines in 2017 (more chemo), and then again in 2019. I'm now on the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, which is working quite well.

Keytruda was first used to treat lung cancer, but they've discovered that it works for other cancers, depending on certain genetic markers. As yet, there are no strong statistics on how long it will extend life for endometrial cancer patients, as, apparently, not enough patients have died yet!

There is a downside for some patients that you won't see on the corporate website. Because Keytruda boosts your immune system, it can cause your immune system to go a little haywire. I now have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands due to Keytruda. My rheumatologist says that my hands look like someone with five years of arthritis, rather than five months. But, all things considered, I can live with hand problems, because it means I can live. And one of the oncology residents is writing a paper on me!

All that said, I'm so sorry for your diagnosis! I know what a kick in the teeth that can be. But treatments for endometrial cancer have come a long way since your first diagnosis. They can do so much more, and there are new treatments on the horizon, based on the mRNA discoveries that led to the COVID-19 vaccines.

If you want to talk to someone going through the same situation, send me a DU mail.


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