PA DONE WITH PREOPERATIVE COURSE OF THERAPY

Dad has officially ended his course of preoperative radiation and chemotherapy. His last radiation was on Thursday May 12th. His oncologist Dr. Sarpel put him on a medication which he started on Saturday, that is new in the treatment for pancreatic cancer. It is called Tarceva and until recently was only used for a type of lung cancer. He received a medication similar to this one during his weekly chemotherapy. The medication acts to cut off circulation to the blood vessels feeding the tumor. This next 4-5 weeks is a waiting period until he has a repeat CT scan and gets reevaluated at Roswell Park by Dr. Kuvshinoff for surgery. The effects of radiation and chemotherapy work long after they are finished. With the effects of chemo/radiation and the Tarceva working together he still is in a state of transformation, which will hopefully lead to a very altered tumor. At this point Pa still feel discomfort in his stomach, loss of appetite and general crankiness that comes with the package. I am trying to get through to Roswell to speak with the surgeon and schedule the appointments Dad needs in a month.

Keep those prayers and positive thoughts flowing because this is an important time for Pa.

Treatment Continues

The therapy is taking its toll on Pa, but he's hanging in there. He's lost some weight, but he's in good shape considering. There won't be much to report until he gets the next MRI in June, which will determine if the tumor has shrunk and indicate whether he's a candidate for surgery.