On Monday we had a call from Beckett's neuro-oncologist. Since he had just had an MRI, this couldn't be good. Dr. Paul Fisher told us that the tumor on Beckett's optic nerve had grown surprisingly since the last MRI. Of the 25 doctors on the tumor board which reviews patient MRIs, everyone agreed that it should be treated, and the likely treatment is chemotherapy.
The good news is that Beckett's life is not in any danger. The chemotherapy will be very hard for him and for us, but it is necessary to protect his vision and to prevent further problems. We have 100% confidence in Dr. Fisher, and he seemed to think that this was a problem that could be solved.
About 55% of the time, chemo stops the growth of this type of tumor. 30% of the time, the tumor actually shrinks, and 15% of the time the tumor keeps growing. But even in that case, I'm sure there are other treatments available.
This is all very new to us and we are just trying to figure out the logistics of how chemo will work. We'll know more after Monday when we will talk to Dr. Fisher in depth, and I'll post what I find out on this page.
2 comments:
Hey Cassie and John.
Thanks for putting up this information for all of us.
We're here to babysit any time we possibly can.
Tonight?
Hi Guys,
Hang in there & remember that Jason & I are 15 minutes away if you need anything at all...babysitting, cooking, running to the store- whatever.
This blog's a really good idea!
Kristen
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