The picture associated with this post shows Elvira taking Olive into waves for the first time. It has nothing to do with our visit to UCLA on June 11, but it does give an idea of how we've been spending our time between visits, enjoying our puppy as well as our life here in Santa Barbara.
I could say the UCLA reports were ambiguous because the melanoma expert and neuro-oncologist agreed that, just to be safe, they wanted to wait until I had a full 52 Opdivo infusions before recommending that I be taken off treatment and declared "in remission". But there was no real ambiguity. The scans and the MRI were clear. The esteemed doctors stated categorically that I showed no sign of cancer either in my body or my brain. They reaffirmed that I was on the right path. No hiccups or problems found.
So, why did they recommend I should have eight more infusions? The answer is a technical one. The protocol for immunotherapy used to be to take it until it didn't work anymore. Then, about a year ago, the research suggested that in cases where the drugs are working, they only needed to be taken for two years before the patient's immune system could take over on its own and protect the patient's body against melanoma.
The protocol was clear except for pinpointing when the two-year clock starts. Was it two calendar years that the patient needed to be on the drugs? Did the four combination treatments at the beginning count, or was it just the Opdivo-only treatments?
On June 11, the melanoma expert's "instinct" was that I should be on the bi-weekly Opdivo treatments for 52 weeks before they stopped. Elvira and I looked at each other, and like so many other times when we've had to adjust our expectations and accept a reality that is not perfect but is awfully doggone good, we agreed with a smile. Eight more treatments to be considered cancer-free and not needing treatment is an easy adjustment to make, given where I was two years ago. We're planning on more beach visits with Olive, more bike rides with her in the trailer, and more great visits from Michael and Brian like the one we had yesterday on Father's Day.
I think we can take it.
