It's Back...

Alan and I went to see my new oncologist, Dr. Suo (Dr. Noonan is on sabatical) this afternoon for the results of my PET scan in early May.

The results are not good. The worrisome mass seen in the CT scan last month is the glowing red/yellow spot in the middle of the PET screenshot above (the red/yellow at the top of the shot is my urostomy bag). The scale on the left of the screen (white to red) is the aggressiveness of the tumor. Mine's very aggressive.

Bladder cancer, for me, is going to be terminal. All we can do now is treat and try to slow it down. There are no curative options. From here on in, we'll be playing "wack-a-mole".

Dr. Suo left us with some options, and they are:

1. Talk with Dr. Wong (my urologist/surgeon) about resection (surgical removal) of this tumor. It's in an awkward spot, and it's not likely, but it's worth asking.
2. Dr. Suo is going to talk to the radiotherapy people about radiation. Again, close to the bowel, and they don't like to do that, but worth asking.
3. Lastly, and most importantly, I'll be starting a new program of chemo-immunotherapy. The drugs PADCEV (Enfortumab vedotin) and KEYTRUDA (Pembrolizumab) will be given every couple of weeks until it either stops working or I tap out.

 

 So there it is. I have to decide, at some point, when the treatment vs. quality of life equation becomes an issue. For right now, I'll start the chemo/immunotherapy and see how I tolerate it.

 

PS: The FGFR mutation I talked about last month is a non-starter - I don't have it.