Goodbye PDL-1 - Hello Chemo Blast!

Well – we continue to be confused by my tumors. Yesterday I went to Stanford to find out the results of yesterday’s scan. Dr. Fisher and his team were expecting to see significant cancer growth. But they didn’t.

In fact, there were no additional tumors on the scan and the tumors that they could measure had not grown. However, due to the fact that I’m having pain and because my CEA continues to get higher, we have to assume that there is tumor growth in my nether regions. Unfortunately, that area of the body is very difficult to see in a scan.

Therefore, today, after 3 wonderful years, I officially went off of the anti-PDL1 study. Interestingly, I was on the study longer than any other patient at Stanford. Furthermore, according to Dr. Lenz at USC, he told me that he thought that I had been on immunotherapy longer than anyone else in the US. That is truly amazing because Genentech had decided within weeks of me starting the trial that they weren’t going to allow any other colon cancer patients on the trial because it wasn’t showing that it would work for colon cancer. But, it worked for me!

Within the next week, I will be getting a port inserted in my chest to begin the next difficult phase of my cancer journey. In two weeks I will begin a 3 part protocol that will take place every two weeks. I will receive irinotecan which is supposed to take my hair (I will be using penguin cold caps to ensure that I don’t lose a strand) and give me some other difficult side effects. I will also be infused with vectibix which is expected to cause a terrible looking rash on my face, chest and arms (I will be getting antibiotics to try to lessen the rash. Finally, I will be walking around for 48 hours every other week with a pump of 5FU attached to my body.

We expect this treatment to last for at least 3 months. We will then decide the next course of treatment (I’m hoping for another spectacular immunotherapy!)

I’m about to head into a very rough couple of months. On the good news front, I will be working with an oncologist, Dr. Thomas Semrad at UC Davis Medical Center. This will save me countless hours on the road between Davis and Stanford. Dr. Semrad is a lovely man and I just know he’ll take great care of me. In fact, when he came in to see me, he reminded me that we had met at an ACS event where I spoke. He told me that he is absolutely fascinated by my tumors since he’s never seen colon cancer act the way that it has in my body. He is excited to work with me. I’m just glad that he has taken a special interest in me!

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. And – keep ‘em coming!!