More Good Scan News

Brain cancer is...

...maybe collapsing a little. 

Dr. Cloughesy was  encouraging this morning. Here's the news, in two parts.

 The Tumor Site

You recall that the resection of Darrell's tumor in 2016 left a cavity, which shows as black on MRI scans.  Its borders show as white, or enhanced.  Enhanced areas could mean a variety of things, like cancer cell growth or scar tissue.  So doctors are careful to look for changes in enhancement.

The amount of enhancement at the borders of the tumor site has decreased a bit over time.  Today Dr. Cloughesy said, "All that's left is a little enhancement."

About the tumor cavity itself, he said it looks like it may have collapsed a little. (The black area in January's scan, left, is slightly larger than in this month's scan, where Dr. Cloughesy is pointing.)

Here's what he's looking at:

Hurrah!

The Rest of the Brain

Dr. Cloughesy also studied the scan for any suspicious activity elsewhere.  He looked as hard as he could and still concluded, "There is just nothing that is concerning."

More hurrah!

The Conclusion

Three more months!  Three more months!

Dr. Cloughesy's encouraging words don't change what happens next; Darrell's next scan will still be in July.  But doesn't it feel great to hear not only "no change" but also "maybe less"?

Dr. Park moved Darrell's appointment to May 10, so Cancer "Week" isn't over until then.  Nonetheless...

Three more months!  Three more months!

Evening Update:  Array Change Certification (4/23/19)

The day only got better.  Christine and Lennie came over in the evening with an Easter basket and a plate of hummus.  They earned full certification as array changers..

Recently we realized that, with all our grown kids gone, Andi has no back-up for Optune changes.  Yipes.  Now we do, and I can relax. Phew.  My favorite quote of the evening was from Lennie.  In peeling the backing off the sticky arrays, Lennie said, "I like stickers!"  Thanks, Mayfields!  What a team you two are!