CT Scan Radiologist Gets Back to Us.

It was the briefest radiology report I have seen (in the 4 or 5 CT scans ed has had) but it showed multiple new small tumors in the omentum (which is what the last CT in February also showed), but these seem to be new new ones, but it says nothing about the ones that were there in February: ie, are they smaller or the same or larger?  The thing is, the chemo was given in order to have some effect on them as well as discouraging new tumors.  So did it?  The tumor that had the needle biopsy is colon cancer in origin.  It is 2 cm. in length.

That's about all the information that he gives us.  So none of it is particularly surprising.  The point of the chemo is to slow down the growth rate, to slow down the speed of progression.  But then, you really can't know (or I can't figure out how you would know) whether without the chemo, the picture would be much worse or about the same or only a little worse.  We were never doing more than buying time here, were never expecting a miraculous cure, so I don't know what to make of these results.

As always, whenever there is a measuring event, somebody says, "well, the options are to quit chemo, or to step up to a bigger/stronger chemo."  That's what the oncologist said to Ed on the phone.  There will be more discussion on this in a couple weeks.  And Ed has written to his other docs/friends who are docs, to see what they think.  So, that, too will inform this discussion in a couple of weeks.

Sorry this is so vague.  But, as we are all tired of saying and hearing, 'It is what it is.'