"Tale of the Tape"

Jon has been home for just over a week recovering from surgery. He feels great aside from a few wound aches. I voted for posting a rather "cool" graphic of the incision site which cuts from upper right quadrant to bottom left quadrant...Jon nixed that idea--he was gifted with much better judgement than I. None the less, there is a beauty in the scar and what it represents.

The final pathology report indicated 90% necrosis (which means 90% of the tumor was dead). This is (again) great news. There were two small positive margins, but they were widely excised. The final measurement of the tumor was around 3 cm x 3 cm x 3.5 cm. To give a picture of the margins, roughly 8 cm x 8 cm x 6 cm was removed and the fascia (muscle) was sewn back together.

After surgery Jon reached out to Dr. Mascarenhas, who originally provided him with a second opinion. He also set-up an appointment with Dr. Syed, the pathologist,  and Dr. Girvigian, his radiation oncologist. He wanted to understand the scope/value of adjuvant chemotherapy when he is technically NED (no evidence of disease). These conversations gifted Jon with a deeper understanding of this cancer.

The debate in certain circles is whether or not chemotherapy is effective with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcomas. Given the fact chemotherapy is not benign (it can cause secondary cancers and tissue damage), treatment has its' own risks.

In Jon's case, the CT scan after two rounds of chemotherapy indicated necrosis of the primary tumor. This suggests chemotherapy worked.

Microscopic disease is not visible on scans; and it is the threat of these tiny insidious "seeds" that warrants additional chemotherapy. It is a hard reality to digest, but if the cancer comes back as metastatic disease, it is virtually incurable.

So...Jon is moving forward with chemotherapy beginning March 4th. He is not excited about the treatment, but he is at peace with its' necessity.

This Wednesday February 27th at 7pm, Jon will be reflecting on his experience in a Lenten discussion at St. James' Church. There is a light meal at 7 pm and the discussion follows shortly. If interested in attending, please call the church at (626) 799-9194 to add your name to the dinner list or you can "pop in" for the talk at 7:20...