Mom and Dad met with Dr. Pendergrass, her local oncologist, to hear his recommendations for her treatment plan. Dr. Pendergrass believes that the standard treatment protocol of radiation and chemotherapy is the best course of action in this case. The post-op MRI reaffirmed that Dr. Blatt, the neurosurgeon who performed the surgery, was able to remove all of the tumor. Besides the standard protocol, there are sometimes clinical trials that can offer innovative, but experimental, medications and treatment techniques. Because in Mom's case the tumor was completely removed and there has been no recurrence, there are no appropriate clinical trials.
This afternoon, the Brain Tumor Center at Duke University was in contact. While they concur with the recommendation for the standard radiation and chemotherapy treatment plan, they also recommended that an additional chemotherapy drug be used to augment this treatment. They believe this combination is showing promise at further inhibiting or delaying tumor growth. The Brain Tumor Center at Sloan-Kettering also made contact today. Both Duke and Sloan-Kettering are requesting pathology slides from the surgery, of which there is currently one copy. It looks like the waters can quickly become murky as we seek guidance from competing experts in the field. Dad is looking into the feasibility of having another set of slides made. If this is possible, slides will be sent to both Duke and Sloan-Kettering, and we will then listen carefully for the best recommendations.
The current plan is to begin the radiation and chemotherapy (both in tablet form and the IV medication recommended by Duke) in the next couple of weeks. This will involve 4-6 weeks of radiation treatment, 5 days a week.
The particular type of brain tumor and cancer Mom is fighting is known as Glioblastoma Multiforme. Current technology does not provide a cure, but new developments and progress are being made. It is very good news that the tumor was fully resected in the surgery, and we also believe that this case is in front of experts at the very leading edge of this field. I remind myself and everyone reading this that no one I can think of is better prepared, willing, and able to face this fight than Linda Holland. She is upbeat as usual, and ready to begin the next step in this journey.
Keep the prayers and thoughts coming! Mom and Dad's email is derek.linda@sbcglobal.net. Feel free to send a message there, but please be understanding if you don't always receive a reply. Mom enjoys catching up on emails in the morning, and she truly draws comfort and strength from the support.
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