{"id":29741,"date":"2023-08-15T10:50:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T14:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cancerresearch.org\/?post_type=cri_stories&#038;p=29741"},"modified":"2025-06-05T17:17:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T21:17:54","slug":"dale-briggs","status":"publish","type":"cri_stories","link":"https:\/\/www.cancerresearch.org\/es\/stories\/immunoadvocates\/dale-briggs","title":{"rendered":"Dale Briggs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dale&#8217;s Story<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>When Dale was a kid growing up, he was always out in the sun. He worked outside and didn&#8217;t protect his skin from harmful UV radiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Years later, Dale developed scaly patches on his head that later progressed to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer. Surgeries, skin grafts, and chemotherapy failed to prevent his tumors from spreading. Concerned about his future and having exhausted standard treatment options, Dale enrolled in a clinical trial testing a PD-1 blocking antibody called cemiplimab. The drug eliminated all the tumors on the outside of his head in about six weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Dale has no evidence of cancer and is able to enjoy my life with his wife, Donna, and two children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A New Norm for Skin Cancer Patients: Dale\u2019s Immunotherapy Story\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S71PdFZEFt0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Questions and Answers <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--42)\">\n<section  class=\"accordion-block align wp-block-acf-accordion\" id=\"accordion-block_d914348d3d7b32f0a25268f530bc0283\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<header class=\"block-accordion-panel-title\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How and when did you first learn you had cancer?<\/h3>\n\n<\/div><\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"block-accordion-panel-copy\">\n    <div class=\"block-accordion-panel-inner\">\n      <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>In 1985, I started getting scaly patches on my head (actinic keratosis). I went to the dermatologist who would freeze\u00a0those away. Years later, cancerous cells started appearing.\u00a0In December 2015, after surgery, I was diagnosed with\u00a0cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and the cancer exploded across my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<\/div>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<section  class=\"accordion-block align wp-block-acf-accordion\" id=\"accordion-block_d914348d3d7b32f0a25268f530bc0283\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<header class=\"block-accordion-panel-title\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How did you learn about immunotherapy and why did you decide to do it?<\/h3>\n\n<\/div><\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"block-accordion-panel-copy\">\n    <div class=\"block-accordion-panel-inner\">\n      <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>After surgery and chemotherapy failed, I was referred to a drug trial at the START Center for Cancer Care in San Antonio.\u00a0That\u2019s how I learned about this type of treatment. My education began there with Dr. Drew Rasco. He told me upfront this new drug (cemiplimab)\u00a0only works on 30% of the people they use it on.\u00a0I decided to do it because I had no other choices.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<section  class=\"accordion-block align wp-block-acf-accordion\" id=\"accordion-block_d914348d3d7b32f0a25268f530bc0283\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<header class=\"block-accordion-panel-title\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What was treatment like? Did you have any side effects?<\/h3>\n\n<\/div><\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"block-accordion-panel-copy\">\n    <div class=\"block-accordion-panel-inner\">\n      <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>Immunotherapy treatment was great.\u00a0I had none of the side effects of chemo; in fact, no side effects at all. Everything returned to normal. My appetite came back.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<section  class=\"accordion-block align wp-block-acf-accordion\" id=\"accordion-block_d914348d3d7b32f0a25268f530bc0283\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<header class=\"block-accordion-panel-title\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How did immunotherapy compare to other treatments you may have received, if any?<\/h3>\n\n<\/div><\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"block-accordion-panel-copy\">\n    <div class=\"block-accordion-panel-inner\">\n      <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>My first treatment after diagnosis was surgery. After surgery, I couldn\u2019t have any chemotherapy or radiation for a month, and in that time&nbsp;tumors began growing up around the surgical site.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first two weeks of chemo, the tumors went down, and then the next two weeks, the tumors came back. My oncologist said he didn\u2019t want to give me drugs that didn\u2019t work, so we needed to find a clinical trial.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compared to chemo, immunotherapy was great. I didn\u2019t have any side effects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<\/div>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<section  class=\"accordion-block align wp-block-acf-accordion\" id=\"accordion-block_d914348d3d7b32f0a25268f530bc0283\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<header class=\"block-accordion-panel-title\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are there things that surprise you about the cancer experience?<\/h3>\n\n<\/div><\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"block-accordion-panel-copy\">\n    <div class=\"block-accordion-panel-inner\">\n      <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>The treatment regimen was surprising. In chemo, you have four bags hung and it takes all day for the drugs to get in. In immunotherapy, they walked in with this little eight ounce bag and I thought you\u2019ve got to be kidding me! We were in and out in about four hours. Also, I didn\u2019t need to use the chemo port in my chest because the new immunotherapy drugs are not damaging to veins and arteries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The time it took to respond was also surprising after my previous experiences. We noticed visible changes in the tumors after four weeks. The drug eliminated all the tumors on the outside of my head in about six weeks.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<section  class=\"accordion-block align wp-block-acf-accordion\" id=\"accordion-block_d914348d3d7b32f0a25268f530bc0283\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<header class=\"block-accordion-panel-title\">\n  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What would you want another patient to know about immunotherapy or about participating in a clinical trial?<\/h3>\n\n<\/div><\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"block-accordion-panel-copy\">\n    <div class=\"block-accordion-panel-inner\">\n      <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>If immunotherapy is an option DO IT! My only concern is the cost unless it\u2019s through a drug trial. In a drug trial, the patient does not pay for the drug.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Every Day is a Gift: Dale\u2019s Cancer Immunotherapy Story\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Nyu06CFDt04?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dale&#8217;s Story When Dale was a kid growing up, he was always out in the sun. He worked outside and didn&#8217;t protect his skin from harmful UV radiation. Years later, Dale developed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29742,"template":"single-cri_stories_immunoadvocate","cri_story_type":[387],"resource_cancer_types":[851],"resource_patient_age":[],"resource_cancer_stage":[],"resource_treatment_type":[],"resource_treatment_status":[],"class_list":["post-29741","cri_stories","type-cri_stories","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cri_story_type-immunoadvocates","resource_cancer_types-skin-cancer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dale Briggs | ImmunoAdvocate | Cancer Research Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dale&#039;s carinoma journey showcases his strength and the transformative role of immunotherapy in his treatment, offering hope and inspiration.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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