My latest CT

[lohidoc]

Well, I had another CT last week. My May CT had demonstrated increase in size of mets in my right lung, with everything else being stable.

My most recent scan again shows a very significant growth of mets in my right lung. There are three of them, now measuring 4 to 5 cm. My left lung is clean, with the exception of a 10 mm area that has shown no change over a year or so.

There is no mediastinal lymphadenopathy. My abdomen looks fine, some prominent retro peritoneal nodes, but no change for a year or so.

So, compared to my explosive recurrence in June 2012, where I had 30 lesions in my lungs, 2 large mediastinal tumours and 2 large retroperitoneal tumours along side my aorta things now look very different.

I have no idea why my right lung lesions are behaving so differently from the rest of my cancer. It may be a different population of cells, a different environment, who knows.

I will be seeing radiotherapy soon, and will be getting a second opinion from the lung met clinic at Princess Margaret in Toronto. After talking to my oncologist I suspect I am heading for SRBT. This will actually work very well with my immune treatment. The radiation will cause necrosis of my cancer cells, sending a powerful danger signal to my immune system, hopefully allowing it to recognize these tumours and becoming primed against them.

Taking stock after a year of my immune treatment I continue to be encouraged. If SRBT can zap these tumours in my right lung I will be left with a much lower cancer burden than I had a year ago. And all this while maintaining my health and quality of life.

[juliej]

I've been wondering about you, Doc, and hoping you were doing well. Sounds like the regimen is working very well except for the mets in the right lung. You're right: it may be a different population of cells or a different environment -- or a different kind of cancer. In any case, SBRT should knock them to the moon.

It's been an amazing year if you think about it. You've significantly lowered your tumor burden and yet maintained a high quality of life. Your cheering section here is large and loud!

Hugs to you,
Julie

[Laurettas]

Thanks so much, lohidoc, for the update. So many of us are cheering for you and it is great to hear that you are still doing well. How strange about your right lung. Just goes to show that you can never think you have cancer figured out!

[scattered edge]

thanks for the update. I've been wondering how you're doing.

Rosie

[edinaman]

Thank you for the update. I have been thinking about you. It's strange how the treatments can work in some areas and not others. Hopefully they will get those growths in your lung. I'm wishing you all the best.
Jeff

[tammylayne]

I was hoping we would hear from you soon!!

Hoping your next treatment plan does the rest of the job...

[so-scared]

I am sure that the treatment route you so bravely chose has been much a much better option than what the onc would have done for you. It is quite amazing what has happened to you over the last year! I sure hope the sbrt takes care of those couple stubborn tumors! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us!

[CRguy]

And all this while maintaining my health and quality of life.....

...sense of humour, determination and general all round esprit de corps with those of us colorectal !

Sending best wishes that the RadOncs / SBRT will be a viable plan for you. I've told you offline my father's lead ONC trained at PM with the country's leading thoracic Onco Honcho. Dad is now teed up for IMRT for pain palliation with the local Honcho ( same "lineage" ) I will be listening to your updates my friend, and will share any news from my side when I meet with the team next week. I asked specifically about SBRT, but for mesothelioma the IMRT targeting seems to be getting good palliative results as opposed to therapeutic SBRT results for distinct foci.
Have you still continued with the "immunotherapy" ? ...Your blog needs an update !

Cheers and Mega POSI VIBES Marc.

Always on the Journey with you.
CRguy

[Phuong]

Hey Doc, good to hear from you - and even better to hear that the old quality of life quandry is not such a quandry for you.

[Bev G]

Hi M,

So good to hear from you! I often wonder how you are doing. The news sounds mostly good, and far better than it did a year or so ago, so "Yay, you!". It sounds like you're developing a good plan for the lung suckers and while I can't claim to completely get the knock 'em down and let your boosted immune system take 'em out, I sort of get it in theory and it sounds like a fantastic theory---one that I sorely hope becomes reality. Geez, we may be heading out with you to see you get your Nobel prize in Medicine!!!

All the best to you, of course.

Love,

Bev

[smokeyjoe]

I've been checking the boards looking for an update from you and wondering how things were going for you. So happy to see this post!!! WHY OH WHY IS THIS TREATMENT NOT AN OPTION FOR US!!!! I think I remember you saying the fellow locally is not carrying on with supply, how will you continue to boost your immune system or are you going to take a break and see how it goes? Continued success for you

[skypup]

Love the good news, and hoping RT zaps the heck out of the outlaw lung lesions. Please let us know how that goes. You're one of a kind, doc!

[lohidoc]

Thanks to my cheering section for all those comments. I am only moderately optimistic, in that I had hoped my Rx would be enough by itself. I have never claimed that this Rx was a cure for cancer, or even my own cancer, but I secretly hoped it would be. So I do feel a sense of disappointment. Also, a large raven has taken up residence near me, and spends a lot of time looking at me....

But I am not without options, so the struggle continues.

The blog is on the back burner, I am concentrating on my book.

Thanks again, I'll keep you all updated.

[Laurettas]

Also, a large raven has taken up residence near me, and spends a lot of time looking at me....

LOL, here we have scads of magpies. Should I be worried? They come and go so I'm hoping all is OK so far. If they take up residence in my attic, then I will really get concerned!

[CheeseHead]

Hi Lohidoc,

Sorry to hear about the lung thingies but hoping SBRT can deal with it.

Cheese