Wade and I went to MD Anderson yesterday to meet with an oncologist named Dr. Milind Javle who has a deep understanding of bile duct cancer. He was very knowledgable and helped us understand better what we are facing.
Wade's diagnosis of bile duct cancer was confirmed by Dr. Javle. The type of tumor he has is called a Klatskins tumor and due to its complex nature, it often cannot be successfully biopsied. It is one of the few cancers that is treated without a definitive diagnosis through a biopsy.
They performed another CT Scan after our meeting with Dr. Javle so they can see more clearly the exact location of the tumor to determine the best treatment plan. The scans at MD Anderson provide better detail than the scans we had done in Austin so this additional test will be extremely important.
Just like the doctors in Austin, Dr. Javle doesn't believe that the tumor is resectable (meaning it cannot be cut out) due to its location between the bile duct branches and blood vessels inside the liver. It is close to important arteries and therefore removing it is too risky. Since it cannot be removed, the best line of defense is to do a combination of chemo and radiation for 5 - 6 weeks. He will then take a break from treatment to heal while they take more scans to see how he is responding. Dr. Javle is going to meet with a team of oncologists and surgeons on Tuesday to discuss Wade's case and put together a successful plan forward.
The good news is that if they recommend the chemo / radiation approach, the treatment can be done in Austin and the chemo is in the form of a pill. The radiation is daily but only takes 10 minutes a pop. We'll learn more about this next week. We are coming back to MD Anderson next Thursday to hear the team's final recommendation.
As you can imagine, this was not the way we expected to end the summer and start the new school year. We are still in a bit of shock. I will tell you though, Wade is amazing. He has faced all of this distressing news, unpleasant abdominal surgical procedures, hospital stays, multiple CT Scans and bloodwork with such bravery. I knew he was a courageous person before last week but now I'm in awe. Thank God for his sense of humor…he keeps us laughing and moving forward.
Feel free to send him a message of support. He has really appreciated all of your love and concern this past week. His email is wgillham@gmail.com.
Finally, thank you to all our friends and family that have dropped everything and helped take care of our family this past week. We will be forever grateful for all you have done. Cate, Will and Ben are doing well. They are aware of Wade's situation and are ready to fight along side him. Our family is a rock.
I'll leave you with a picture of the first thing we saw when we arrived at MD Anderson yesterday. I liked this a lot…
Wade's diagnosis of bile duct cancer was confirmed by Dr. Javle. The type of tumor he has is called a Klatskins tumor and due to its complex nature, it often cannot be successfully biopsied. It is one of the few cancers that is treated without a definitive diagnosis through a biopsy.
They performed another CT Scan after our meeting with Dr. Javle so they can see more clearly the exact location of the tumor to determine the best treatment plan. The scans at MD Anderson provide better detail than the scans we had done in Austin so this additional test will be extremely important.
Just like the doctors in Austin, Dr. Javle doesn't believe that the tumor is resectable (meaning it cannot be cut out) due to its location between the bile duct branches and blood vessels inside the liver. It is close to important arteries and therefore removing it is too risky. Since it cannot be removed, the best line of defense is to do a combination of chemo and radiation for 5 - 6 weeks. He will then take a break from treatment to heal while they take more scans to see how he is responding. Dr. Javle is going to meet with a team of oncologists and surgeons on Tuesday to discuss Wade's case and put together a successful plan forward.
The good news is that if they recommend the chemo / radiation approach, the treatment can be done in Austin and the chemo is in the form of a pill. The radiation is daily but only takes 10 minutes a pop. We'll learn more about this next week. We are coming back to MD Anderson next Thursday to hear the team's final recommendation.
As you can imagine, this was not the way we expected to end the summer and start the new school year. We are still in a bit of shock. I will tell you though, Wade is amazing. He has faced all of this distressing news, unpleasant abdominal surgical procedures, hospital stays, multiple CT Scans and bloodwork with such bravery. I knew he was a courageous person before last week but now I'm in awe. Thank God for his sense of humor…he keeps us laughing and moving forward.
Feel free to send him a message of support. He has really appreciated all of your love and concern this past week. His email is wgillham@gmail.com.
Finally, thank you to all our friends and family that have dropped everything and helped take care of our family this past week. We will be forever grateful for all you have done. Cate, Will and Ben are doing well. They are aware of Wade's situation and are ready to fight along side him. Our family is a rock.
I'll leave you with a picture of the first thing we saw when we arrived at MD Anderson yesterday. I liked this a lot…
You both are amazing! Keep fighting...love from all of us.
ReplyDeleteThe Dina's stand with you family Gillham!! Our thoughts are out for you all.
ReplyDeleteWe've seen cancer been kicked to the curb before. My 4 year old nephew with stage 4 Neuroblastoma at the baseline. Tumor surrounding the artery leading to one kidney. The other mass in chest. A year later after exhaustive therapy, lots of prayer, patience, surgeries, and skilled doctors, Charlie was proclaimed cancer free. That blessed news occurred this year.
Yep. We've seen it work. And believe all things are possible.
Wade, stay strong. And when you are weak accept our strength in its place.
We stand with you. --Ant