Hi friends and family--

I wanted to give you an update on my most recent tests. I had my third colonoscopy of the year with Dr. Nishimura in April. It was supposed to be the year follow-up to my ESD procedure last June, but it was scheduled a little earlier. Thankfully, everything was clear and Dr. Nishimura said he didn't need to see me for a full colonoscopy for another 3-5 years, which is a nice relief. I then had another CEA blood test which tracks colorectal cancer markers in the blood and saw Dr. Yaeger for a follow-up, which included going over the genetic testing that MSK did on the CRC tumor. The CEA test was negative for any sign of cancer and the genetic testing did not reveal anything unusual or actionable in terms of further testing or treatment. She said that with all the good results thus far, she doesn't think I need another CT scan at this time (they were going to be annual for 3 years), given that they contain a lot of radiation. She's comfortable with me continuing to follow up with Dr. Paty, who is scheduled to give me a pelvic MRI and a physical exam of the surgery area in August. Dr. Yaeger said she would be willing to order future Signatera tests for me to continue to look for the presence of CRC cells in small amounts. 

I also had a follow-up with my breast surgeon, which is only a physical exam at this point, but everything seems clear there too. He said that there could be a way to tell if the CRC tumor utilized the BRCA1 mutation with genetic testing, but when he went over the genetic testing report that MSK did, they had not tested it for the BRCA1 mutation. So it's still not clear whether there is any connection between the BRCA1 mutation and my CRC cancer, but the MSK doctors are not concerned with determining that because it doesn't change treatment options. He said it should also not change the way my extended family thinks about their cancer risks because even if the cancer utilized that mutation, our family could still have a different genetic predisposition to CRC cancers that has not been recognized yet (unrelated to BRCA1). So extended family should be careful to do earlier colonoscopies. The recommended age for those with average risk has been dropped to 45, and those with a family history are recommended to do it at 40.

I have also recently redone the blood work that looks at inflammatory markers in my body. I've been staying away from a series of foods for six months in an attempt to see if that would positively affect those inflammatory markers. The reports weren't very conclusive--some markers had improved and some had stayed the same or gotten a little worse. So this is something I'm still investigating, but is requiring more research from me, since I'm not seeing the doctor in NJ regularly now. I take a lot of supplements and some medication to block the metabolic pathways of the two cancers I've had, and I'm still figuring out how best to rotate some of those so that I don't start to react to them or that my body doesn't get too used them. My strength training got derailed by all the treatment I had to do this year and I need to get back to it, especially for my bone health which is negatively affected by the hormone blocker I take for the breast cancer. I'm also dealing with other side effects from that medication, especially dryness and lack of flexibility in my vocal cords, which has been very frustrating. I'm looking for a doctor who is used to working with singers and may have some ideas of how to help me with this. 

Thank you all for your continued prayers for my health. I'm very thankful to be cancer free as far as we can tell at this point and pray this will continue for many years! 

love to you all!

Linnea