Sean Martella's Testicular Cancer Update Blog: Taxol/Gemzar Chemo Cycle 1 Treatment 1

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Taxol/Gemzar Chemo Cycle 1 Treatment 1

Sean had his port placed this morning at IMC. Everything went smoothly with that. For those of you who don't know what a port is, it's a device placed beneath his skin in his chest that allows IV access through it so that he doesn't have to endure needlepricks for IV's in his arms and hands. This is beneficial because chemotherapy can cause damage to veins making it extremely hard to start an IV....and Sean's had trouble with that in the past so the port will definitely be a good thing throughout his treatment.

We met with Rick Hansen, Dr. Chandramouli's PA this morning. He gave Sean some prescriptions for anti nausea and pain medications to help him deal with the side effects of the chemo that are sure to come. He told us that Sean will be doing the taxol/gemzar treatments 1 day a week for 3 weeks, with a 1 week break after, which equals 1 cycle. He will do 4 cycles (16 weeks) of treatment, so long as he is responsive to the drugs. They will run labs each time he comes in for chemotherapy to determine if his cancer is responding. Rick said that Sean will most likely lose his hair again, experiencing the same sorts of nausea/vomiting that he had in the past, have a bad taste in his mouth again (which really sucks because the holidays are coming up and Sean really likes the food), and the overall sick feelings that come along with doing treatments like this. Rick said that the gemzar lowers patients blood counts quite significantly, so while he won't be neutropenic like he was when he had his transplants, he will still need to stay away from anyone who has a contagious illness and will need to be aware of overall hygiene. Rick gave us a prescription for an antibiotic to take in case Sean develops a fever that goes above 100.4 degrees. (Note: Sean will still be out and about in public, and has been told by Rick to get both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccinations). The plan is to move Sean's treatments to Friday's after this week as he has a full day of classes normally on Wednesdays, meaning that Sean's next chemotherapy treatment will be on October 23. We expect to meet with Dr. Chandramouli at that time as well for another follow up visit as he was out of the office this week.

Sean's chemo treatments will last between 4-5 hours each time they are done because the taxol chemo requires a lot of premedications in order to allow the body to tolerate the poison. I'm not sure what my plan is right now on whether or not I'll be with him during treatments so for now we'll plan on seeing how he copes with the side effects and whether or not he'll be able to drive himself to and from the cancer center.

For now Sean is doing well in the sense that he's staying positive, doesn't feel sick, and is ready to go through all of this again. As his treatments go on, things will get harder and harder but we know that we'll make it through this just like everything else we've been through. We know that this is his last real shot at a full cure so we're doubling up on hope. For now, please keep praying for us. We'll keep everyone updated with Sean's progress and condition. Thanks

Karen

2 comments:

Matt K said...: If he needs a ride and someone to stay with him for his treatments sign me up if you can't make it karen.; October 14, 2009 at 5:40 PM
Terry said...: Hi Karen and Sean, just reading your blogs and I'm sorry you both have to go through this again. My prayers are with you both to kick this thing in the ass!!! You guys can do this. May the Lord give you strength through this process. I love you both. take care. Lots of love. Auntie Terry :o); October 15, 2009 at 10:27 AM

Post a Comment

The Rundown

Okay, so here is how it all started and where we are at now (short version):

Throughout 2007, I had lower back pain. The back pain got worse and worse. Finally, a doctor ordered bloodwork, which showed that I was anemic. A CT scan was ordered that showed widespread cancer that had originated in my right testicle. There were small metastases in the lungs and large tumors in the abdomen.

In January of 2008 I had a right orchiechtomy surgery done (right testicle removal). A biopsy was done that showed a nonseminoma/seminoma mixture. I was diagnosed as stage 3 high risk. I went on a BEP regimen (Bleomycin,Etoposide, and Cisplatin) of chemotherapy that lasted 12 weeks. All this was done at home in Salt Lake City under the direction of Dr. Nitin Chandramouli. After it was done, a CT scan showed that all cancer was inactive except for the largest tumor in my abdomen. Circa June '08.

In August of 2008 I underwent an RPLND (Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection) in SLC. The surgery appeared successful but a subsequent CT scan showed the cancer had spread to my liver in a couple spots. In September of '08 I was taken to Indiana where Dr. Einhorn (inventor of platinum based chemo and recognized testicular cancer specialist) practices. Under his direction, I received three weeks of salvage chemotherapy. After the salvage, I underwent two rounds of high dose chemotherapy (5x strength Carboplatin and Etoposide). Before undergoing treatment, my stem cells were harvested so that they could be given to my severely weakened body after treatment. I achieved a complete remission in December of '08

As part of maintenance, I took a VP-16 etoposide pill until April of 2009. I remained in remission until July when my blood markers began elevating again. A PET scan revealed a localized tumor in my abdominal cavity, near the vena cava. I was taken to Indiana again, where Dr. Beck performed a second RPLND. The surgery was difficult but successful. At the cost of half a kidney, a bowel obstruction, a possible blood clot, and several weeks in the hospital I was in remission again.

In October of 2009 I relapsed again. I began a regimen containing Taxol and Gemcitabine. At the time there were small metastases in my liver, lungs, and abdomen. Taxol/Gemzar failed in early 2010

In late January of 2010, after having several months of normal blood tests, the AFP marker began to rise again. Tumors in my abdomen, lungs, and liver began appearing again.

In March 2010, I went to Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Hospital in New York and began a clinical trial under the guidance of Dr. Darren Feldman. The ARQ-197 pill looked like a good side-effect free choice to try and fight the cancer.

In April 2010, the trial was determined not to be effective for me. New tumors appeared and disease progression showed no signs of slowing. A tumor on my spine threatening paralysis was of particular danger. Fearing that consequence, I underwent a short course of radiation on that tumor and another in my hip.

I have multiple lesions in my lungs, liver, and other areas that continue to grow. Currently, I am in the process of having my tumor profiled on a molecular level by TGen. TGen is a company that is based out of Arizona. They look at tumor's case by case, on a genetic level, to determine new and unused courses of treatment that will be as effective as possible for that individual.

Because that process takes a while, and the treatment itself may not be covered by insurance, I just started a regimen of Oxaliplatin as well. Oxali is effecive in 20% of people in my situation. The regimen often comes with a lot of neuropathy and cold sensitivity. I started this regimen on 5/12/10 and am still waiting to here about how it's working.

Sean Martella's Testicular Cancer Update Blog

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Taxol/Gemzar Chemo Cycle 1 Treatment 1

2 comments:

Photo Slideshow

Links

The Rundown

Blog Archive