One more time: Immunosuppressive therapy to manage side effects to immunotherapy does NOT affect response! New report.

I get asked repeatedly...and so many docs seem to have fallen behind the learning curve on this:

Do steroids and other drugs that suppress the immune response, when NEEDED for immune related side effects caused by immunotherapy, also diminish the critical response required to get rid of melanoma?

The short answer is no!!!  Here's info from two melanoma experts, published October 26, 2016 ~

Toxicities associated with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy - From UpToDate, with Postow and Wolchok

In the report it states:   "The need for immunosuppressive therapy to manage irAEs does not appear to affect the response to checkpoint inhibition."

It is a really good report.  Check it out with the link above if you are interested.   - c