Hi cathyvs,

I can understand how worried you & your daughter must be and it's good that you are researching all you can about melanoma treatment.

Firstly, can I say that I am a Stage 3b melanoma patient. I was originally diagnosed Stage 1b in 1996 and then in 2009 it returned Stage 3. I had a full node clearance from my groin & pelvis (macro amount in a groin node, micro amount in a pelvic node) and I then had 11 years of regular check ups & was discharged last year. I am currently NED (No Evidence of Disease) the melanoma equivalent of remission. I have had no adjuvant treatment (immunotherapy or targeted therapy) as it was only made available to newly diagnosed Stage 3 patients in October 2018. Should my melanoma return, I will then be offered either or both (I am BRAF positive & targeted only works on BRAF positive patients). I also know a few other Stage 3 patients who are in the same position as me - long surviving without drug therapy, so the immunotherapy and targeted therapy is a bonus treatment for new Stage 3 patients. 

These treatments are showing great promise but, due to them only being available for over 2 years, statistics won't be gathered until after the 5 year mark. They have been available to Stage 4 patients for about 6 years so statistics should be available soon.

With regards to DCT, I believe it's not yet offered in the UK and is still at the clinical trial stage here. There was a trial for it a while ago but it is currently on hold (possibly due to Covid). www.cancerresearchuk.org/.../a-study-of-imm-101-and-nivolumab-for-people-with-advanced-melanoma

I will send you a friend request so we can chat by private message and I can share other information that you may find helpful. Sending you both good luck,

Angie