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Well, Rob went to Sloan yesterday to see the pulmonologist and oncologist.
Dr. Motzer came in with the pathology. Rob's tumor, we finally know, was yolk sac tumor and teratoma. 58 lymph nodes removed, all were clear!! Very happy. Didn't do bloodwork this week, so the AFP as far as we know is still 4.1. Rob is cancer free.
HOWEVER... since there was a small dot of active cancer in the necrotic tissue of the teratoma, protocol would have them giving Rob two more rounds of prophylactic chemo... but with his kidney problems, and how weak he still is from surgery, they will only put him on surveillance. They said the risk of his good kidney failing is greater than his risk of getting cancer again. But yet they weren't happy about moving on to surveillance. I wasn't at the visit, and I am curious - is there an alternative chemo? Something not so hard on the kidneys? From what I've read, platinum is the magic bullet for TC.
Its frightening to think that you go to one of the best cancer hospitals in the world, see one of the top TC docs at the hospital, and he says, well, you could have a recurrence with additional chemo, a recurrence without it, or you'll never get it again. There's no way to know.
We refuse to be upset about it. The news is that Rob is cancer free, and that's what we're celebrating.
Dr. Motzer came in with the pathology. Rob's tumor, we finally know, was yolk sac tumor and teratoma. 58 lymph nodes removed, all were clear!! Very happy. Didn't do bloodwork this week, so the AFP as far as we know is still 4.1. Rob is cancer free.
HOWEVER... since there was a small dot of active cancer in the necrotic tissue of the teratoma, protocol would have them giving Rob two more rounds of prophylactic chemo... but with his kidney problems, and how weak he still is from surgery, they will only put him on surveillance. They said the risk of his good kidney failing is greater than his risk of getting cancer again. But yet they weren't happy about moving on to surveillance. I wasn't at the visit, and I am curious - is there an alternative chemo? Something not so hard on the kidneys? From what I've read, platinum is the magic bullet for TC.
Its frightening to think that you go to one of the best cancer hospitals in the world, see one of the top TC docs at the hospital, and he says, well, you could have a recurrence with additional chemo, a recurrence without it, or you'll never get it again. There's no way to know.
We refuse to be upset about it. The news is that Rob is cancer free, and that's what we're celebrating.
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