Scan Update

Christian here.

So I finished a trial drug maintenance in September as about half of the ~50 lesions (most of them very small, 2mm) had started to progress.  As such, I switched to a new set of drugs in October.

50 sounds ominous, but I don't really feel it is terrible.  Most don't show any movement now, or are shrinking.  There are no noticeable issues with breathing or otherwise.  Doctors listen to my lungs and tell me they sound crystal clear (good), and pulse Ox numbers are generally always 99/100 (good).

I've had three 21-day cycles of drugs.  Yesterday I had a CT scan and a meeting with my oncologist.  It appears that four (4) larger lesions are still misbehaving.  These four are all in the lower parts of the lungs (good), and he indicated that these four can all be removed surgically (good).  Surgery is the gold standard for disease removal.  The literature indicates that long-term survival is best supported by surgical resection, so this appears to be my path.

Doc wants me to go another 21-day cycle of drugs, which I started yesterday.  Following this is a break of a couple weeks to allow all the residual chemo to vacate the body.  I then will have a full-body PET/CT.  CT is the size and shape, PET shows the metabolic activity of the lesions - the level of glucose uptake gives a view of the activity level.....we want a faint, or no glow.  I will also have an MRI of the liver.  This disease like to metastasize to the lungs and the liver.  I've had no liver issues to date, but the most recent CT seems to indicate I DID have a liver lesion, but it appears to perhaps been resolved by the chemo.  Will see.

Once this is done sometime in mid-January, I meet with my doctor and the thoracic surgeon to consider surgery.  I'm really hoping we can to a VATS (Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery) - this is a less invasive laproscopic surgery with a couple smallish incisions on both sides.  Otherwise, it would be another big open surgery - hoping that's not the case.

That's all!

Thank for the thoughts and prayers everyone.  Keep 'em coming!

Merry Christmas!

Christian and family