Hi everyone. This is our first update on Linda’s status. For those of you who don’t know, we found out last week through follow-up testing that Linda’s renal cell carcinoma had spread to her lungs and renal cavity (space from which her kidney was removed). The spots on her lungs are numerous and mostly small. Due to the kidney’s impurity-filtering function, renal cancer cells do not respond to chemotherapy. There are two relatively new treatment options for this type of cancer. One involves medication that can limit the growth or reduce the size of the lesions in the lungs. Another type of treatment called rIL-2 is more intensive and has a small chance of having a positive affect but also a small chance (5%) of curing the disease. We are exploring these two options with several doctors and are researching whether other types of treatment may exist.
Today we found out the results of the brain MRI. The MRI was clear—there were no visible tumors on the brain! This came as quite a relief, as it means that we can proceed with treatment on the lungs rather than with radiation on the brain. Dr. Schroeder, the only Oncologist we’ve been able to see so far, will call his contacts at the Cleveland Clinic tonight or tomorrow, and see if they have any additional recommendations.
Thanks to all of you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We hope to have more positive news as time progresses and we will keep all of you updated.
Love,
Jim, Linda, Tony, and Andrea
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