When I saw my chemo oncologist on the 26th, he presented me with another treatment option: going back on the Avastin via IV. This was the one that was stopped due to the swelling in my feet and legs as well as the protein in my urine. Since all the subsequent tests on the kidneys turned out fine, and the Avastin seemed to have the most success in slowing the progression of the cancer cells, the doctor felt it was worth a try. So I had my first biweekly IV Wednesday. If the swelling returns and I'm taken off the Avastin again, well, I honestly don't know what happens then.
I contacted Duke University about their clinical trials, and because I have multiple tumors now, even though the cell groupings are close to each other, I don't qualify for the much-hyped polio virus-turned-cancer cell killer, or any of the other trials, save one. For that one my tumor has to be something called EGFR (Epidermal growth factor receptor) amplified 5 fold. My oncologist is going to check the pathology from my previous surgeries tested to find out my number, though he said the number can change over time. The only way to know the current number is to test a new sample, which would require another surgery, which, as I explained previously, isn't really an option after having two already. So I think this is a long shot at best. If I did somehow get qualified, I'd have to go down to Duke every 2 weeks.
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