Cancer Timeline

Many want to know what therapies I've done and when, without reading this entire blog.  So while I think you are missing out on a lot of cancer fun, below is the timeline of the major happenings. While I will add links to the individual stories as I can, until I finish you can search the blog for descriptions of any of these milestones to find out my experiences, pretty much all of it is documented.

08/17/09:  Diagnosed with cancer, and the story leading up to that.  The cancer was invasive ductal carcinoma, multifocal/multicentric.  The largest tumor was largest 3.4 cm, there were two smaller areas of invasion under a cm in other quadrants of the breast.  Also associated ADH, LCIS, DCIS.  HER2+ ER+/PR- Grade 3, Node Negative.   Stage 2a.

10/20/2009: Right side mastectomy, reconstruction with Tissue Expander.

12/02/2009: Six rounds TCH, (Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin).  T&C given every three weeks for the 6 rounds, Herceptin goes on for a year.  Switched to Taxol halfway through due to neuropathy

03/31/2010: Finished chemo

05/01/2010: Began tamoxifen

11/18/2010: Reconstruction completed with the exchange of an expander to an implant.

12/02/2010: Finished herceptin

05/21/2011: Liver Mets was discovered, cancer now metastatic and therefore considered incurable. Quit Tamoxifen.  (Discovery was a fluke, I was complaining of back pain that I still have to this day that doesn't seem to be related to the disease, yet my doctor did a scan showing several tumors of 3 cms in the liver)

06/22/2011: Began Navelbine/Zometa/Herceptin

06/27/2011:  Port Placement, in arm rather than chest.

10/03/2011: Liver Resection at UCSF - left lobe of liver removed entirely. Microwave ablation of a spot found in the right lobe.

11/26/2011: C-Diff Infection that went septic, sending me to ICU and causing pseudomembraneous colitis.  This infection nearly cost me my colon and my life.  I was told by the infectious disease specialist that it was the worst case he had seen in 20 years in which the person didn't die.  This took me several months to recover from.  At some point in February, I was recovered enough to go back on Navelbine.

03/28/2012: Unfortunately, progression in ablated section of the liver. Started Abraxane, continue herceptin/zometa

10/10/2012: Progression continues, started Halaven, along with herceptin and zometa.

01/15/2013: Progression continues, started Gemzar and newly approved Perjeta, continuing with herceptin and zometa

03/13/2013: Quit Gemzar, body just won't handle it, white count does not recover and I am not tolerating the side effects. Staying on herceptin, zometa and perjeta.

04/03/2013: CT shows 50% regression in tumor, so am starting back on Gemzar with dose reduction, staying with perjeta/herceptin/zometa. Can't argue with success!

05/09/2013: Discussing SBRT (also known as tomotherapy, cyber knife, gamma knife, etc) with Radiology due to inability of bone marrow to recover from chemo.

06/07/2013: Fiducial placement for SBRT

07/03/2013: Chemo discontinued in preparation for radiation, on Perjeta, Herceptin and Zometa alone

07/25/2013: SBRT (gamma knife) begins

08/01/2013: SBRT completed

08/15/2013: STABLE! continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin, Zometa

06/18/2014:  PET scan says***** NED!!!!***** continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin every 3 weeks, and Zometa reduced from monthly treatment to every three months.

01/15/2015:  PET scan shows continued ***** NED!!!****  continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin, Zometa.  Doctor suggests I can take a two month treatment break, so plan to do it this summer.

02/12/2015:  Still NED.  I do not know what the future holds.  Metastatic cancer has a way of mutating past everything put its way,  and I know that. Perjeta is very new.  However, I am going to live like I have time again.   I have begun a twice weekly exercise class to get some energy and functioning back.  I think it goes without saying that you can't have gone through as much treatment as I have - 7 chemos, numerous surgeries, radiation - without having lasting pain and side effects, including fatigue, weakness and other physical problems.  So I am actively working to try to try to get stronger, get healthier and become less of a cancer patient and more of a person.  Whether I am getting healthy for the next round of chemo or for the rest of my life doesn't matter.

10/14/2015:  Progression.  It's all through the upper abdomen:  It is in the porta hepatis, in abdominal lymph nodes and probable small lesions in the lungs.  Treatment in discussion but probably Xeloda, continuing with Herceptin and Perjeta.  Damn.

11/08/2015:  Started TDM-1, aka as Kadcyla.  (Chemo #8)  Discontinued other drugs except Zometa.

02/03/2016 - Pathological Complete Response.  That means - REMISSION AGAIN!!!! Continuing on Kadcyla