Mid-chemo test results

Last Wednesday, August 24, 2016, Anne-Marie had completed a series of scans to track the effectiveness of her chemotherapy treatments. At Anne-Marie's fifth chemo (Friday, two days later), Dr. John Smith gave us the results. 

The bone scan appears to be completely clear. The presence of cancer in Anne-Marie's back and right knee is no longer showing up. These areas will be monitored going forward. 

The CT scans came back with more disappointing results. All areas previously showing cancer have "some reduction". However, cancer is still located in many areas of Anne-Marie's lungs including the nodule that is causing her to cough. Two more treatments will have been completed after these scans took place, so the final verdict on the effectiveness of Taxotere/Progeta/Herceptin is still pending. We will stick with the same treatment plan for now and finish on 9/16. 

We were pretty disappointed with the news, but must take comfort in knowing that some cancer patients would be thrilled hearing about a reduction. However dire this situation appears, the truth is that Anne-Marie has less cancer in her body today than she did five months ago. We're not throwing a party or anything, but we are looking ahead to what's next. The fight continues today.