On 5/15/2008
excelpro wrote:
Hi Leonard,
Carolyn here again about my mom, who is scheduled for surgery consult with Dr. Ray, UCSF next Thursday. We are awaiting the PET scan Monday from Kaiser. the onc. from Kaiser says that if the cancer is in her pancreau lymph node, surgery will not work. He saw a suspect lymph node (swollen on the CT scan) in that area.
Dr Hueng of UCSF thinks Cyberknife would be a good treatment for my mother, if surgery is not an option, with chemo. I read that you also had this for your wife. Was it done at UCSF?
I will probably have to fight Kaiser as they will want to do just a low dose of chemo, which does not seem to work from what I have read on this forum. I think they are considering pinpointed radiation of some sort also at the liver tumor. She does have Klatskin's however, and the cancer has invaded the liver wall..
I wish I had never heard of cholangio.Can you give me any further advice/encouragement?
Thank you,
Carolyn
Hello Carolyn,
First of all I think you mean Doctor Lawrence Way at UCSF not Doctor Ray.
I'm pleased to hear things are moving fast...this cancer is a very serious issue.
I surpeised UCSF will go along with Kaiser's PET scan results...they usually want to do their own.
With regard to CyberKnife...I also believe you have the doctors name incorrect. I believe you are speaking of Doctor Kim Huang, M.D. (pronounced Wong)...
Yes CyberKnife Radiation treatment along with the 3D/Conformal Radiation Treatments saved my wifes life...Doctor Huang along with her staff did a great job.
I kind of surprised about CyberKnife for the Klatskin Tumor....but I'll leve that to the experts....I really hope surgery is in the ultimate plan. My wife had CyberKnife treatments on a tumor that resurfaced after 3 years from surgery...it was pin-pointed because it was a 3cm tumor in one lymph node.
Carolyn...please review the previous message I sent you...it is very detailed... it answers most of your questions.
It's approximately 8:00am on Friday morning. My wife (Karen) has an appointment at IR - 3rd floor at UCSF this morning at 10:00am to replace two bile drain tubes.
Botton-line, if Doctor Huang believes CyberKnife will help...go for it.
Also Carolyn, in my previous message to you I gave you alink to click and view a segment that was run on CBS TV co featuring Karen and CyberKnife. I also gave you a web site to see Karen's story on the CyberKnife site....check out my previous message.
If you stay with UCSF, your mother will have a great team fighting her.
Don't forget about Doctor R. Hirose, he's aggressive and he is one of the finest liver surgeons at UCSF....Don't miss understand, they are all very good, but in some cases you want a doctor that goes for it. There were doctor that believed they would lose Karen on the operating table...Not Doctor Hirose., so just keep that in mind.
Good Luck...I'm leaving for UCSF in a few minutes.
Leonard from Alamo