Hi,
I'm thrilled with your success with the tumor using Avastin. My husband has had Carbo/Taxol/Avastin for 4 rounds and we go today for our CT Scan results.
As for the brain mets, the treatment seems to be tied to the number of mets at first. Most of the people I talk to agree that they have had WBRT recommended to them if there are more than 4-6 brain mets. The side effects I read about can be serious, but the argument is that one can surely die from the brain mets growth sooner than the cancer tumor and the Docs want to give even the smallest ones that don't show up yet a good dose of radiation to deter them and the bigger ones from growing.
However, after the initial treatment seek out advice how to proceed if the mets grow or return. There are other options than GammaKnife out there; look up Novalis Variable Beam. It has more accuracy capability for some shapes of mets.
I would also like to talk to someone who is one to two years out with WBRT. Anyone?
aly