January 24, 2024

UPDATE FROM TY:  I GOT INTO THE TRIAL!!  We were advised yesterday that I was "randomized" into receiving MSK Vaccine.  This is really great news as the vaccine perhaps represents the best chance to beat this thing or to prevent recurrence for many, many years.  Of course, any clinical trial is inherently an uncertainty and thus may have no effect but, still, it is comforting to know that my treatment will be "state of the art plus" executed by the best cancer center in the world. 

Jane and I are also seeing two cancer centers in FL this week so that we can have a knowledegable support system in case I have a severe reaction to chemo while in FL --- the treatments themselves are to be given in NY/NJ -- and therefore need some emergency care locally.  Based on our first such meeting, the idea looks like it will work out fine. (As you might imagine, our request is not at all unusual given the percentage of snow birds that end up need cancer treatment up north).

TLDR:

To review my treatment timetable:
1- Vaccine treatment (MSK NY/NJ) begins on Tuesday (Jan 30) and repeats weekly for 6 weeks.  No major side effects expected.  Like the Covid vaccine, the clinical trial vaccine is designed to prevent the cancer from coming back.

2- Chemo (MSK NY/NJ) begins immediately thereafter every other Tuesday for 6 months.  Potential side effects but none life threatening.  Chemo, of course, is designed to kill the microscopic cancer cells following my successful surgery which removed all the visible (non-microsopic) cancer but left some microscopic cancer cells in a single "positive margin" area and potentially elsewhere in body.

3-  Booster (Vaccine) begins after chemo every 28 days for 6 months.

4- Potential PARP inhibitor treatment if I have the BRAC mutation. (Should know in 2-3 weeks if I have it.). This inhibitor is designed for folks that have the mutation so their anti-cancer agents work better.

The above treatments together with the fact that my CA-19-9 body antigens seem to be a better than normal "early warning system" for any cancer recurrence positions me almost about as well as one can be for this terrible disease allowing me, hopefully, to survive a few years and perhaps even much longer.  

Of course, as is the case in life generally, no guarantees that any of this will work.

So, keep your prayers going.  They seem to be working so far!

Love
Ty