CT Scan Results - Hopeful News

I haven't posted in awhile as I've been waiting for my three month scan results since I began Folfiri and Avastin. My oncologist and my VATS surgeon both told me that chemo wouldn't work on my lung mets. They wanted me to radiate my lungs. My second opinion, Dr. Lenz at Norris USC Cancer Center, said that it would work and to definitely NOT continue with radiation. Some of you may remember that I also developed a rare complication after VATS, a subcutaneous tumor grew at the VATS incision site on my back. The recommendation at the time was to watch the subcu mass and measure it to see if it shrinks with the chemo (kind of an outside barometer).

Well, the good news is that after 3 months of chemo, my right hilar nodes have reduced in size from 1.3 x 1.2 cm to 8 x 8 mm and my subcarinal lymph nodes have "slightly improved". The 3 mm nodular density now appears more faint and "fuzzy", although somewhat larger at 5mm. I requested that my radiation oncologist look at the scan and he said that yes, it is most likely radiation necrosis due to the one stereotatic radiation treatment that I had before I got my second opinion. A physician friend has been measuring the subcutaneous mass on my back and it has reduced in size from 2 x 1.5 cm to 9 x 7 mm. The radiologist reading the scans however, said that there was "no change" in the subcutaneous lesion. Both my oncologist and I know differently. When I asked my oncologist to clarify this discrepancy with the radiologist, he said that we know that the tumor has reduced in size and left it at that. I'm not sure if I'm going to pursue it or not. At this point, I'm going to focus on the big picture - the chemo is working!

Since I had all of the differing opinions going into chemo, I now feel much more hopeful that this chemo will take me even closer to NED.

I hope that my experience will help others with lung mets that are trying to make those difficult decisions.

Take good care,
Susan