Hope

The biopsy results were still not complete for Tanya’s doctor appointment last Thursday, so we still don’t know if the type of cancer will be determined. If enough tissue is available after the biopsy tests, Tanya’s doctor will send them to the Mayo clinic for more evaluation.

Tanya has started conformed radiation treatments. It’s possible that there can be some serious side effects, due to where the cancer was found and the fact that she has already had radiation in some areas that will be radiated this time. Tanya should get some cough relief in about two weeks, but the coughing may get worse before it gets better, since coughing is a side effect of radiation, too.

The doctors don’t consider this cancer to be curable right now, but they do expect Tanya to respond well to treatments. Since there are still so many treatment options available, she is not a good candidate for trials, which are mainly for patients with few options left.

If the cancer turns out to be lung cancer, Tanya will probably have weekly low dose chemotherapy for 6 to 8 months, starting before she finishes the radiation treatments. If it turns out to be breast cancer, more treatment options are available, and Tanya will be able to wait about 7 weeks before starting chemotherapy.

The doctors expect that Tanya will go into remission for months to years before the cancer appears again, and they will treat each occurrence as it is detected. New drugs and therapies are always coming down the pike. So we’re hoping for the best and doing all we can to make that happen.

Tanya still has a great attitude, and Steve and Tanya pulled together another successful Relay for Life Friday night.