Looking at the blog, it is apparent we did not post an update after our July visit to MD Anderson. Now here we are in early October with another visit under our belts. So, here is an update...
Results of CT scans in both July and October showed no disease progression, meaning the tumors in both of my lungs have not grown, nor have any new ones become evident. The cancer, in fact, is responding to the chemotherapy. We are now counting around 6-8 visible tumors, all of which have either shrunk in size or have cavitated. Cavitation means the tumor is coming apart on the inside - not necessarily going away, but losing viability. When you look at a cavitated tumor on a scan, it looks like a ring - you can see the round edge but the center is empty.
Our doctor in Houston is great. He is always 1-2 hours late, but it is obviously because he spends whatever time a patient needs. He took the time to pull up four sets of images, from CT scans dating back to 2017 to the the most recent one, and took the time to show us the progression of each of several tumors.
So what does this mean for the longer haul? I could stay on treatment, perhaps for a long time, but we are intent on exploring other options. One that we discussed with our oncologist is cryoablation, where they insert a large needle, locate the tumors, then "ablate" (freeze) them. There are other possible options that we will be researching
Our oncologist wants to go another three months on chemo to see if the cancer stays in its current state. If that becomes the case, then he feels that cryoablation is a viable treatment. Once performed, I would go off chemo treatment but continue quarterly scans to monitor and see if any other tumors manifest. This isn't expected to be a cure, but patients have been known to go for years without any additional treatment. Should spots begin to appear again, I would go back on treatment.
As always, we wish to thank everyone for the great support we have received. We hope in some small way that our cancer journey has positively affected someone along the way. We have certainly learned to live life a little differently, understanding how fragile it can be.
With October being breast cancer awareness month, I am grateful to still have Arvonne by my side, fighting along with me, after her fight with breast cancer. She keeps me going! She has been a great inspiration, a patient caregiver, and a very understanding partner in my chemo brain moments.
Remember, if you haven't been checked, get checked. I know we say this often but we are in the trenches of this disease and would hate to see anyone go through this journey. Did you know that diagnoses of colon cancer in people 50 and older has gone down, but for people under the age of 50 it has gone up, substantially. We know of two young girls, one 17 that just lost her battle to colon cancer and another who is 11 and battling stage 4 colon cancer. Arvonne had a colonoscopy two and a half years ago and another about a month ago. She had two polyps that were pre-cancerous. Enough said. As always, GO FIGHT WIN.
Cliff
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