Meeting my Immunotherapy Dr
Understanding what happens next
July 2023
“You haven’t bothered the NHS much, have you Mr Southee?”
This was the opening observation from Dr Pasquale Innominato, my wonderfully named Italian immunotherapy oncologist. I laughed because he was right. Apart from removing my appendix in 2001, and repairing torn ankle ligaments from some football injuries, I luckily had avoided needing much treatment on the NHS. I did have private medical with one job, which Sian required more than I did when she discovered she no longer bounced when falling off a horse.
I also laughed because this was Dr Pasq (as everyone called him) dropping hints that my file was about to get a lot thicker.
For the next hour or so, he discussed with us what immunotherapy does, and which drugs he planned to use. We then went through any potential side effects. When you’re prescribed drugs by your GP, the box of pills or bottles comes with a small leaflet detailing any potential side effects.
I wasn’t expecting 3 sides of A4 detailing what could happen as part of the treatment. We went through some of the serious ones to look out for, but I was assured that not everyone suffers from these.
Dr Pasq then detailed the timetable for the treatment. Given my cancer was stage 3, this was as follows:
5 doses of dual immunotherapy drugs (Nivolumab and Ipilimumab) given every 2 weeks
I would then switch to a maintenance single dose of Ipilimumab given every month.
One thing to remember is that these drugs remain effective in your body for up to 2 years after having the doses. Which is just as well, given what happened later in the year.
Obviously, having cancer raised the question of “how long can I expect to survive?” This is a difficult one. I’m now 62, but Dr Pasq said that he expected the treatment to extend my time left by some years, compared to if I wasn’t treated at all.
After about an hour, I signed forms agreeing to the treatment and was given a card with phone numbers to call in an emergency. Dr Pasq said he had a slot available on the following Tuesday, so we only 2 working days to wait.