After 5 years and 2 clinical trials, Patient #1 stops cancer treatment

Source: The Inquirer, October 2017

How do you decide when to stop a life-saving treatment?

That is the question I faced this summer. Was now the right time to stop taking pembrolizumab — the anti-PD-1 drug that Merck has exploded onto the market as Keytruda? Is it time to quit taking the medicine that has effectively saved my life?
My doctor wasn’t sure; although she is an excellent physician and oncologist, she is neither a melanoma expert nor an immunology specialist. She doesn’t have the full background to make this decision, through no fault of her own as there are not many oncologists who have patients that have lived this long, and this well, on checkpoint inhibitors.
My family wasn’t sure either. Though most family members voice their support with whatever I do, it’s not hard to see the hesitation in their eyes when we talk about next steps. Of course my mom is by far the worst; she hides non-verbal cues as well as my son “hides” under his covers during hide and seek. They trust my judgment but are hesitant to abandon medicine they know works.