It's nothing that came as a surprise. Pete's Wednesday appointment with the local oncologist, Dr. W, has been cancelled and replaced with a Friday appointment (Aug 6) with Dr. K at MSKCC. Beyond that, I don't know anything else.
I have been doing research on the web and corresponding with folks via the Sarcoma Alliance message boards and chat. I've gathered some information about new treatments that show promise in fighting chemo-resistant sarcomas. One drug that is very interesting is Rexin-G, developed using nanoparticles. It is in trials by Dr. Sant P. Chawla in Santa Monica, CA. This drug has been granted Orphan Drug status by the FDA.
Etoposide is another drug, though this one seems to have some side effects that may be cause for concern.
Cryotherapy, which is the use of extreme cold (cryo) to remove tissue (ablation), is another option to discuss with Pete's oncologists. Dr. Littrup in Detroit and Dr. Dupuy in RI are regarded as tops in the field of applying this technique to remove non-responsive tumors in the lungs to allow more time to find a chemo agent to which all the tumors will respond. Not long ago, Pete's father had arranged for him to have an appointment with a doctor in north Jersey who specializes in RFA (RadioFrequency Ablation) using heat as opposed to cold to destroy the cancerous tissue, but the doctor had concurred with Pete's oncologists, who had recommended standard surgery to remove his lung mets. This was before the latest CT scan showing that at least one tumor had apparently decided to grow, despite 4 subsequent rounds of DTIC, to which it had previously responded so well.
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