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| Finn yesterday |
He has to get a bone scan tomorrow (the one he was supposed to get last week, but nuclear medicine wanted to postpone it). He won't be able to eat after 7ish, he'll get an injection of the tracer for the bone scan at 8:30, and then the scan is at 11. He'll have to have general anesthesia for this test (which will be the 5th time he's had general anesthesia in 2 weeks), but the scan should only be about an hour, so hopefully he won't feel too badly after it's done. The best part is, after the scan, we get to go home!
The preliminary pathology from the tumor is a little - well, a lot - weird. It looks like it's a neuroblastoma, but a lot of the tumor was necrotic (dead) tissue, which is not typically seen in neuroblastomas. They saved the best part of the specimen to send off to a special lab with a pathologist who specializes in neuroblastoma. He'll look at the slides and do genetic testing on the tumor and with that will be able to confirm the diagnosis of neuroblastoma. The big question is - what do we do now? Dr B has never seen a case that looks like this, with most of the tumor consisting of dead or dying tissue, so she isn't sure what the next step should be. Her plan is to enlist the aid of some of the national experts in neuroblastoma once we have the information from the reference lab, to see if this is something any of them have seen before, and to help us come up with a plan of what to do next.
I'm not exactly sure what this means, except that we won't be starting chemotherapy right away. Instead we have at least a week, but probably two, before we have a plan and can get started with the next step. I'm going to go back to work next week, which is good, since I have absolutely no leave left, and these two weeks off have been without pay (thank goodness for the savings account I have that was earmarked for TTC #2); but also bad, because I really don't ever want to leave my boy again after what he's been through so far.
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It sounds like you've got quite an amazing medical team working with you on this. With all their expertise, I'm sure Finn will be at home and in your arms in no time. Sending you both big hugs!
ReplyDeleteDitto what Kanis posted.
ReplyDeleteIt breaks my heart to read what Finn has been through. I hope the lab results come back quickly so you and Finn can move forward. Finn looks so healthy and well loved. He is a very luck little boy! Thinking of you both!
ReplyDeleteVery glad to read that you & Finn will be home soon. I just wish you didn't have to go back to work so soon. Keeping you both in our thoughts & prayers.
ReplyDeleteHuh, that is weird. Though I'm an immunologist, my field is not cancer immunology. But still, I cannot picture tumors waving the white flag and dying by themselves, is this his immune system fighting back? Are they checking for immune cell infiltrates or his NK cell activity? This is completely an ignorant layperson's take on it, but when you hear the words necrosis and tumor in one sentence, you have to think about the innate immune system, particularly, the NK cells that can make loads of TNF-alpha...the good stuff:)
ReplyDeleteHope the experts can make some sense of this, and I hope its good news. It does sound like it.
I'm sorry you have to go back to work:(
Sounds like potentially good news with the dying tumor cells. I hope they can give you a definitive answer and game plan soon. Hang in there, you guys are doing great. Sending healing thoughts for Finn.
ReplyDeleteThat's crazy weird. I hope its great news like "Finn's got a super-human immune system that kills cancer, we're going to take his antibodies and cure cancer across the globe"
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update, thinking of you often.
I think that the US should give moms a year maternity leave like they do in other countries! Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteWhat Oak said. Thinking of you both. I can't imagine how hard it will be to go to work.
ReplyDeleteHoping for the absolute best for you both.
ReplyDeleteI liked what Oak said too!
ReplyDeleteBless his little cherub heart. He has been through a lot. I hope he doesn't have to have chemo (maybe your breast milk has superhuman properties!), but if he does I'm so glad for you that he's gotten a reprieve.
Hang in there. I know you must be exhausted, Shannon.
This is interesting... I'm so glad that you and Finn are home now. Please get plenty of rest and give Finn a big hug from all his aunties.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you get to go home soon but sorry that you have to return to work as well. Hope Finn feels more comfortable and can snuggle a lot with mommy. Sending you prayers and hugs from Zac and I.
ReplyDeleteThere should be some other kind of leave you can take. No one should have to worry about money at a time like this.
ReplyDeleteFinn looks great and he us quite the trooper! So little to have gone through so much. Hang in there and our thoughts are with you both.
ReplyDeleteShan, I came across this recent study that progesterone can inhibit growth of human neuroblastoma.. this is just a speculation-- perhaps the progesterone supplement that you took for the IUI inhibited the growth of Finn's neuroblastoma prenatally? Maybe you can ask the doctor.
ReplyDeleteProgesterone Inhibits the Growth of Human Neuroblastoma: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence.
Atif F, Sayeed I, Yousuf S, Ishrat T, Hua F, Wang J, Brat DJ, Stein DG.
SourceDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Brain Research Laboratory, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 USA.
Abstract
We investigated the anti-tumorogenic effects of progesterone (P4) in a human neuroblastoma (SK-N-AS) cell line in vitro and in a mouse xenograft model of neuroblastoma. P4's safety was tested in rat primary cortical neurons and human fibroblasts (HFF-1). At high doses, P4 significantly (p<0.05) decreased SK-N-AS cell viability in vitro and this effect was not blocked either by 5α-reductase inhibitor, finasteride or the P4 receptor antagonist RU468. Even at very high doses, P4 did not induce any cell death in healthy primary cortical neurons or HFF-1. The bioavailability of P4 24 hours after the last injection in the serum of treated animals was significantly (p<0.05) higher (10-33 μg/ml) than in untreated animals. In nude mice, P4 (50 and 100 mg/kg) inhibited neuroblastoma growth by ~50% over 8 days of treatment. No drug toxicity was observed in the mice as measured by body weight and activity. P4 suppressed the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-9, MMP-2), which are involved in tumor vascular development. High-dose P4 inhibited tumor growth by suppressing cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis as evidenced by the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cleaved caspase-3. P4 significantly increased the expression of P4 receptor isoform-A (PR-A) and suppressed phospho-Akt (Ser437) expression.CONCLUSION: At high doses P4 effectively inhibits the growth of solid neuroblastoma tumor, has high bioavailability, selective toxicity and a high margin of safety, making it a possible candidate for further study as a potential clinical treatment of neuroblastoma.
Hoping things keep going in a positive direction. I always thought but now I know without a doubt that you and your little boy are amazing. Keep hanging in there, you're doing a stellar job. You're never far from my thoughts.
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