22 July 2016 - Neurosciences Outpatients Department, QE Hospital, Birmingham

Deb in Iceland March 2016

The Return of the Tumour

Last time I wrote I would not put up another post on the blog until there was something to report. Well that time has come and its not good news.

At this last visit to the QE we met Dr Mead, Senior Registrar (Dr Sanghera was on holiday) and Claire Specialist CNS, to discuss the results of Deb's scan taken the day before on 20 July (Deb's 36th scan since radiotherapy). We were shown the latest scan alongside the one taken in March this year. Comparing the 2 scans you could see there were some changes. The changes were small but significant. There were 2 new areas of concern. Both areas were separate and distinct from the old tumour but in the same part of the brain.

The registrar said that they had received the radiologist's report on the scan and the new areas of change were believed to be a return of the glioblastoma tumour. Deb's case will now be discussed at the next Multi Disciplinary Team Meeting (MDT) on Tuesday 26 July and Claire will ring after the meeting to let us know the outcome.

We discussed what options were available and these are basically the same as last time: surgery (with implantation of gliadal wafers), another course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy (or a combination of all three). If surgery is to be considered we will see Dr Kay (the surgeon who carried out Deb's previous debaulking operation) on 2 August.

There are some positives: Deb has had no symptoms and is feeling well. Because of the regular scans the progression of the disease has been caught at an early stage. Deb responded very well to treatment last time so there is no reason to believe she will not respond well again.

Deb and I had got complacent with all of this. It is 8 years and 46 days since Deb was first diagnosed and despite what the doctors said we were starting to believe the cancer would not return. That anxious knot in the pit of my stomach had started to unravel. We talked and planned for the future as though it was all a foregone conclusion. Well the knot is back.

At least we now know what the journey involves but just because it is the second time around it doesn't make the heavy dose of steroids, or the drilling of holes into your scalp, or the drip  of deadly drugs into your body any easier to take.

I will update as necessary.

Chris