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StephN · 01-26-2011, 01:43 PM

OH! Karla -
What an ordeal to get right up to the point where they are starting the anesthesia and have them back out. I can feel that frustration just reading the words.

But, now you have a chance to adjust your frame of mind and concentrate on Gamma Knife as something that will have great effectiveness for you too!

I assure you I am NOT an exception. I do believe your brain team was trying to give you what they consider the best chance for total control. However, since you have only the 3 spots, you are in a class of patient who stands a better than 70% chance of good control after treatment.

There was a study released around the time of my Gamma Knife which concluded that patients with HER2 positive brain mets numbering 3 or less (and less than 3cm in size) would have a 91% chance of total control. (My family prayed that the good Lord would take care of the other 9%.)

I have not searched for anything more recent, but that study bouyed up my hope for success such that I really had no second thoughts about going that direction.

My largest tumor WAS 3cm, so I was pushing the size range in that study, but it was not deep being in my cerebellum.

I am here to tell you that I now have SIX years of NED in my head since Gamma Knife. Six years from now you will be able to make that same statement!

01-26-2011, 01:43 PM	#55
StephN Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Misty woods of WA State Posts: 4,128	Re: Help! Brain mets besides lung mets OH! Karla - What an ordeal to get right up to the point where they are starting the anesthesia and have them back out. I can feel that frustration just reading the words. But, now you have a chance to adjust your frame of mind and concentrate on Gamma Knife as something that will have great effectiveness for you too! I assure you I am NOT an exception. I do believe your brain team was trying to give you what they consider the best chance for total control. However, since you have only the 3 spots, you are in a class of patient who stands a better than 70% chance of good control after treatment. There was a study released around the time of my Gamma Knife which concluded that patients with HER2 positive brain mets numbering 3 or less (and less than 3cm in size) would have a 91% chance of total control. (My family prayed that the good Lord would take care of the other 9%.) I have not searched for anything more recent, but that study bouyed up my hope for success such that I really had no second thoughts about going that direction. My largest tumor WAS 3cm, so I was pushing the size range in that study, but it was not deep being in my cerebellum. I am here to tell you that I now have SIX years of NED in my head since Gamma Knife. Six years from now you will be able to make that same statement! __________________ "When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest." H.D. Thoreau Live in the moment. MY STORY SO FAR ~~~~ Found suspicious lump 9/2000 Lumpectomy, then node dissection and port placement Stage IIB, 8 pos nodes of 18, Grade 3, ER & PR - Adriamycin 12 weekly, taxotere 4 rounds 36 rads - very little burning 3 mos after rads liver full of tumors, Stage IV Jan 2002, one spot on sternum Weekly Taxol, Navelbine, Herceptin for 27 rounds to NED! 2003 & 2004 no active disease - 3 weekly Herceptin + Zometa Jan 2005 two mets to brain - Gamma Knife on Jan 18 All clear until treated cerebellum spot showing activity on Jan 2006 brain MRI & brain PET Brain surgery on Feb 9, 2006 - no cancer, 100% radiation necrosis - tumor was still dying Continue as NED while on Herceptin & quarterly Zometa Fall-2006 - off Zometa - watching one small brain spot (scar?) 2007 - spot/scar in brain stable - finished anticoagulation therapy for clot along my port-a-catheter - 3 angioplasties to unblock vena cava 2008 - Brain and body still NED! Port removed and scans in Dec. Dec 2008 - stop Herceptin - Vaccine Trial at U of W begun in Oct. of 2011 STILL NED everywhere in Feb 2014 - on wing & prayer 7/14 - Started twice yearly Zometa for my bones Jan. 2015 checkup still shows NED 2015 Neuropathy in feet - otherwise all OK - still NED. Same news for 2016 and all of 2017. Nov of 2017 - had small skin cancer removed from my face. Will have Zometa end of Jan. 2018.