Wikipedia:”Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system.”
Difference from chemotherapy:
“Immunotherapy and chemotherapy are both cancer treatments. The main difference between immunotherapy and chemotherapy is the way these treatments target cancer. Chemotherapy uses drugs to target and kill fast-growing cells. Immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to slow, stop and kill cancerous cells.” from https://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/immunotherapy-vs-chemotherapy/
Note from me: immunotherapy also uses drugs to do its dirty work🤓
In other words, since chemo almost wiped out all of my cancer and left only a little blob, we’re stopping it because it is also killing me, as it also attacks the immune system. It’s all about that delicate balance!⚖️
While immunotherapy, in simple terms, boosts the immune system, it also suppresses certain hormones and proteins. Depending on the hormones and proteins that your tumours have, you get the specific immunotherapy. Because tumours also have personalities, of course🙄
I have been getting Pertuzumab and Trastuzumab from the start, along with the chemo docetaxel. All in one day. Hence the bloating like a puffer fish and taking 21 days to recover, before the next hit.
And now it will be just the two. Still an extra litre of stuff in my body, still something intrusive, but it will prolong my life for as long as my body can handle it. Because it still does come with its set of side effects.
But I’m grateful that it exists. Grateful that trastuzumab and pertuzumab have been approved very recently (in the last year or so) as they have been helping and actually assisting in shrinking them stinking tumours. And that will happen to my remaining 6mm. Remember, I’m aiming for N.E.D. ! 💪
In the meantime, I’ll record the new (yes, all shiny too!🤩) side effects for you and also update you on my recovery from the mess chemo left behind. Starting with my hair!
Nope! Nothing has grown yet, but my awesome neighbour and friend got me this cool beard hat just in time for the freezing weather. And I’ll be rocking this style for a while!😋
