Hector - " No sign of tumor can be found."

HectorSF

On June 27th I underwent a Percutaneous Ethanol Injection (PEI) treatment (pure alcohol is injected into liver cancers to kill the cancer cells. The alcohol is injected through the skin (percutaneously) into the tumor using a very thin needle with the help of ultrasound or CT visual guidance. Alcohol induces tumor destruction by drawing water out of tumor cells (dehydrating them) and thereby altering (denaturing) the structure of cellular proteins.) was perform on my liver after two chemoembolizations treatments failure and AFP tumor marker continued to rise. Last AFP before treatment was 1,892 ug/L. Any AFP over 1,000 ug/L is predictive of cancer recurrence post transplant and death, so patients are not given transplants as are they are likely to die soon after transplant. And there is no treatment possible.

After checkup MRI on Wednesday" No sign of tumor can be found." (!!!)

I received a surprise phone call Thursday after two days of follow up testing to learn if my most recent cancer treatment had any affect on my tumor which has been preventing me from being eligible for a desperately needed liver transplant.

The MRI scan results that I had done on Wednesday and the blood tests of my tumor marker done on Tuesday had come back to my doctor's office.

While my UCSF doctor was in Brazil the emails quickly quickly spread the word between my doctor, my Nurse Practitioners, my clinical trial team, and my transplant coordinator that the tumor had been completely obliterated and there is no sign of any tumors in my liver! Needless to say I feel as though a thousand lbs of weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I am extremely happy and dazed by this unbelievable turn of events. It appears to be everything I have been hoping for this year has actually happened despite the odds.

My tumor marker blood level dropped 1,300 ug/L points so far and next week, if everything continues in the same direction, I should be back on the liver transplant wait list. The tumor marker was 560 ug/L as of Tuesday at 1:30. I just need to be below 500 ug/L to be eligible for a transplant. I may already be there now. It typically takes 30 days for it to fall to its lowest value after a procedure. It has only been 18 days so far.

My goal now is to get a transplant ASAP before anything else happens. I may go to Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut if I can get a liver there sooner than at UCSF. Whatever it takes I will do to speed along the process. Knowing that the odds were great that it was a matter of how I was going to die not if, and preparing for death has been the toughest challenge ever in my life. But I am ready, willing and able to through a transplant anytime because I still have enough will power to fight to live no matter what it takes.

This still seem like a dream and I hope I don't wake up to find it all is only that, but I wanted to share the good news after so many disappointments and setbacks due to my cancer making me ineligible for a life-saving transplant. Thankfully my great teams of doctors kept trying despite the small odds of success.

Onward to a liver transplant and a life beyond disability... :-))
Howie

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dontworry_behappy1

I like that : ) What a great feeling that must be for you. Truly remarkable!

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Emily_MHManager

Oh what great news! Congrats, and you'll remain in my thoughts.

Em

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HectorSF

Thank you Willy, Mike and Naya...

When I heard the news that no tumor could be found on the MRI after my last HCC treatment, I thought of this line of renewed life emerging from darkness. What a glorious moment if was.

“As little flowers, which the chill of night has bent and huddled, when the white sun strikes, grow straight and open fully on their stems, so did I, too, with my exhausted force.”

― Dante Alighieri, Inferno (14th century)

Ciao!
Howie

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