Leslye and I drove over to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa this morning to see Dr. Sondak. After checking in, I was first met by Chris the Physician's Assistant who did a splendid job of explaining disease free survival rates and overall survival rates. I understood the terms correctly: if a person is expected to live 5 more years, his overall survival rate is 5 years. If he spends the first 4 of those years without being dogged by cancer, his disease free survival rate is 4 years. Chris emphasised not to get stressed out by numbers. Given an overall five year survival rate of say 50%, out of 200 people there's no way to predict which 100 will still be alive after 5 years. Like driving to the grocery store, there's a statistic that says a certain percentage of us will be involved in an accident, but it doesn't stop us from getting groceries. The most important thing he said was that rare doesn't automatically mean bad - there's reasonable hope in treating MCC. It was the most comforting thing I've heard in a long time.
After Chris did some perfunctory pokes and prods and questions, Dr. Sondak came in. He had read my op reports, pathology reports and history and agreed with what had been recommended. He said that because I was at Stage III (carcinoma had entered the lymph nodes), radiation was a given. Because I'm still young (!) chemotherapy is indicated because the risks versus the benefits in my case were small, meaning in the long run, chemo will do me more good than harm.
Basically, Dr. Sondak saw no compelling reason to receive treatment at Moffitt as opposed to LRCC. LRCC is well equipped, has state-of-the-art equipment and has a good track record. I left his office feeling good about what he said and am glad I'm able to receive treatment closer to home.
For those who want to consult with Dr. Sondak, it's important that any biopsies be analyzed by HIS pathologist at Moffitt. I didn't get a name, but this pathologist is an expert at determining MCC cancer and Dr. Sondak won't use anyone else. I was just lucky that my surgeon Dr. Reintgen uses the same pathologist.
Young. I get more and more suprised every year I hear that.
Here's what you're in for...
This is a chronicle of my experiences, observations, and feelings as I experience treatment for Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC). The goal is to give anyone going through chemotherapy and radiation for MCC (or any other cancer for that matter) an idea of what to expect. Of course I'm a unique individual just like everyone else, so what happens to me may or may not happen to you. Your mileage may vary.
I'm a pretty reserved guy, so most of these posts will be straightforward, just-the-facts-ma'am entries. I may occasionally get maudlin, but cut me some slack -- I could die from this.
