STORY

I started this blog 8 months after being diagnosed with metastatic bile duct cancer. 

After undergoing one unsuccessful chemotherapy treatment (Gemcitabine and Cisplatin) for a few months, I started targeted therapy (Tafinlar and Mekinist) in August 2022. 

I am the only patient at my hospital with my cancer type and the mutated BRAF V600E gene who is currently on these targeted therapy medications. I will also be referring to them as chemo in this blog because they fall under that wider umbrella. 

Please understand that every patient is very unique. Not only in their type of cancer, organ it affects, chemotherapy they are on, but also in any underlying conditions and so on.

My only underlying conditions were allergies, asthma and hypothyroidism. For my cancer type, I am considered very young, as most patients are in their 70s. 

This treatment targets the mutated BRAF gene of my cancer, halting growth. 

After 2 months into treatment, I got news that the tumors in my liver were shrinking. 15 to 50%. And after 5 months, scans showed the tumors shrunk 10 to 15% more.

I will update this blog periodically and talk about my progress and experience on these drugs.

I am not a medical professional or expert. I am just sharing my experience on this blog.

Why? Simple, because we found it to be very difficult to find patients writing about their experience with these relatively new cancer treatment drugs. So we wanted to help fill that void for others.

I appreciate any comments or emails so that I know this information is helpful in some way and possibly appreciated.