We just found out today the diagnosis for my dad once they took the tumor out of his brain. He has stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme which is pretty serious. His spirits are up and he has been in alot of prayer and meditation since the surgery. We are going up to visit him this weekend.
I really don't know what to think at this point - it is all such a shock and hasn't really sunk in yet exactly what is happening - especially since he looks healthy enough. I'm going to continue to do research about it so that I understand exactly what is going on. He will start radiation as soon as they can get him in and then figure out what else to do after that.
This is a pretty advanced cancer and very aggressive. My dad is undaunted by the diagnosis and is putting alot of trust in his body's ability to heal, the power of prayer and of course advanced medical treatment. A positive mental attitude is the one thing he has control over and has been shown to have a positive impact on the healing process. For those who are interested, he has a blog about his experience.
And as you know my brother also has cancer. His is stage 3 oligodendroglioma and he has gone through radiation and has just started chemotherapy. It is a really hard time for him and his wife Christina and new son Aidan but they are working on staying positive.
So please send prayers in our family's direction. For any who may be wondering, these tumors are not supposed to be hereditary - and should not be a concern for my sister or myself. However the doctor did mention that it wouldn't hurt to see a genetic counselor to see if we should get screened.
Well that is all for now. I will continue to keep this blog updated as things progress. Send positive thoughts and prayers our direction!
3 comments:
we will say prayers for you all at the House of Worship. Be strong! You all can beat it!
Much love,
Nassim
Michelle, I am soo sorry you are all going through this! What a HUGE test.. not only for them but for you too.. You are so much in our thoughts and prayers.. I love you!!!
Love,
Melinda
When you are referring to my Glioblastoma, you are linking to a Wikipedia entry. I find this entry to be very out of date in terms of what's called "current standard of care". Specifically, the Wiki entry indicates "The five year survival rate of the disease has remained unchanged over the past 30 years and stands at less than three percent." It also shows the PCV chemo regimen as the current standard of care, with limited effectiveness and significant side effects. A major reason for this is that the PCV chemo does not penetrate the blood brain barrier very well to actually get to the tumor.
As shown in the National Cancer Institute article (http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/glioblastoma0604) the PCV regimen has been replaced by temozolomide (Temodar) as the current standard of care. The Temodar has been found to be effective in getting through the blood brain barrier and has significantly less side effects.
David's treatment has been 30 days of radiation followed by 12 months of Temodar treaments.
My treatment will be 42 days of Temodar + radiation (the protocol discussed in the NCI article), followed by 12 months of Temodar treaments. Significantly, the NCI article notes an increase in the 2 year survival rate for GBM of 10% (radiation alone) to 26%. (radiation + Temodar). By the way, I'm not seeing reference, in the literature, to this combination for David's kind of tumor.
Bottom-line, from my perspective, increasing the statistical 2 year survival rate from 10% to 26%, just from modification in the conventional treatment, just increases my confidence in long term survival, particularly given everything else I'm doing!
Love
Dad
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