|
Welcome to Dave's page. This page has been created to update family and friends on David's fight against Colon cancer. Special thanks to Mary Clare Hurt for her loving example.
Journal
Monday, November 17, 2008 1:30 PM CST Dear Family & Friends,
This morning, before chemo, Dave had his appointment with Dr. Burfeind. For the most part, on the scans Dave's cancer looks stable -- with slight progression of the tumor in the right lower lung lobe (that spot has gotten about 40% worse, according to Dr.). There were no new lesions. Dr. Burfeind recommends continuing with the chemo as is, since it is still apparently working. PET scan correlates with the last CEA. Since that CEA was lower than previous one, maybe some of those other lung lesions are necrosing?
Dave's blood work looks pretty good--white count is up, magnesium is normal, kidney function looks good, etc.
Dr. Burfeind said he will discuss with the radiology oncologist Dr. Ghandivadi the possibility that radio frequency ablation might be feasible for the tumor that is progressing in the right lung. Dave's concern is that he would have to miss 1-2 cycles of chemo for such a procedure. We'll have to wait to see what Burfeind and Ghandivadi come up with. Dave will next see Dr. Burfeind in a month--Dr. Burfeind doen't feel it necessary to see Dave every 2 weeks. He will still get the chemo every 2 weeks though.
I asked Dr. Burfeind if Dave has the K-Ras mutation -- according to research, if you have the K-Ras mutation, Erbitux is not effective (and I would guess that other monoclonal antibodies might not work). This all has to do with doctors trying to figure out the most effective treatment against colon cancer. We know that Erbitux did work for Dave, but I just wondered if it is helpful to know if Dave has any known genetic mutations for colon cancer. Dr. Burfeind said that K-Ras mutation is not something he would want to know about Dave because then you run into all kinds of insurance concerns. For NEWLY diagnosed patients it is something to consider. Remember that Dr. Burfeind did have Dave tested for Lynch syndrome a while ago--evidently Dave doesn't have that familial connection. Almost every day it seems that science is discovering more and more about genetic makeup. So for now, Dave will carry on!
LIVESTRONG!
Namaste,
Monica
Read Journal History
Links:
|
|
