The Beginnings of a New Plan

During my visit with my oncologist today, I went crazy and asked him if he thinks there is any chance at a cure for me if we try one more time and hit this cancer very hard with a large arsenal. He said that when I came to him a year and a half ago he was set to fire away but that I had expressed an interest in taking it easy. Up to that point any time I had chemotherapy it was right after a tough surgery and it seemed I was always recovering from surgery and chemotherapy all of the time. Now that I've had a bit of a break I might be willing to try once more if he thinks it's reasonable. So the formulation of a new plan is percolating.

We will do a PET scan next week (it's about time anyway since my CEA hasn't gone any lower) and if we find something then he will consider putting me on a chemotherapy similar to the last time but will add a new drug, an antibody called Zaltrap. Then perhaps after that's completed, and if the suspected activity is in my liver, he would have me undergo a treatment called SIRT. (You can find the details about that here: SIRT.) Basically, that is a method to deliver radiation to my liver using itsy bitsy beads.

We are not completely set on this plan, and there other things we can try. And this all would take place only if new activity is confirmed by a scan. Whatever it is we decide to do, I'll keep everyone posted.

Keeping Watch

It was this past October that a PET scan found a couple of small tumors in my liver. At that time my CEA was 6.4. By the time I was scheduled for the CyberKnife treatments to incinerate those two spots my CEA had increased to 12.7. Since the treatment the CEA has been hanging out around in the 8s. It was 8.2 on 12/6/2012, 8.6 on 1/1/2013, and the latest number is 8.6 on 1/11/2013.

At least it's holding steady. That means we had some effect on the tumor growth. The oncologist suspects that there's still a small growth hiding out in my liver somewhere and future scans will reveal it. In the meantime we continue with the same plan and when it's time for a change he has a few tricks up his sleeve.

I'll give you the details as changes are being made.

In the meantime I'm feeling fine. My energy is normal, as well as my appetite. I have a few extra pounds (which the oncologist actually likes) and I'm in the process of shedding some of the extra weight. I know how to do it, I just have to stick to it.

My next CEA will be in two weeks. I don't know when the next scan will be.

Slow News Day

If you are on Facebook then you probably already know that my last CEA was 8.2, down from 12.7 two weeks before. That's a step in the right direction. I don't actually expect the doc to do another scan until my CEA is up again since tumor growth and a rising CEA has always gone hand in hand with me. So I don't know when to expect the next one, really. The next CEA will be checked on January 1st, so no news will be forthcoming until the new year. 

In the meantime, we will be enjoying the sand and sun in the Caribbean for Christmas. I hope you have a great Christmas and a happy New Year!!