Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Cured! Five-Year Post-Treatment with No Recurrence!

My 5 year post-treatment appointments with my medical and radiation oncologists of my head and neck cancer treatment team were held on November 15, 2016, in the Johns Hopkins University Hospital Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center clinic area in the hospital's Weinberg Building. My medical oncologist, Dr. Hyunseok Kang, was about to fly overseas, but he came by to congratulate me on having had no recurrence, telling me that as I result I'm considered to be cured. His Physician's Assistant, Sarah Bonerigo Sagorsky, gave me a more detailed examination--she had been with my case since my diagnosis in August, 2011. Dr. Kang had replaced the medical oncologist on my treatment team, Dr. Shanti Marur, who had teamed with my radiation oncologist, Dr. Harry Quon, to determine my treatment that had begun on October 17, 2011. Dr. Marur had also shared the good news after my fourth post-treatment PET scan, having talked with the radiologist who examined the PET scan results, relating that the scan had shown no sign of cancer in my treated tissues, nor in the rest of my body down to my legs. Dr. Kang replaced Dr. Marur when she left Johns Hopkins to work in another hospital.

My final appointment last November 15 was with Dr. Harry Quon, whom I consider to be an absolutely top-rate radiation oncologist, in part due to his excellent programming of my radiation treatment with a cance center radiation physicist to minimize the radiation's negative effect on my salivary glands (and on my beard hair, with minimal thinning of hair along my chin and reduction of hair on my hard-to-shave throat, although that's a fortunate secondary result probably not predominantly considered in his treatment design). Dr. Quon regularly "scoped" the tissues inside my nose, throat, and mouth with an endoscope, and this time did so VERY thoroughly. He had also trained very well his current resident, who was able to thread the endoscope through my left nostril past my deviated septum without pain (some tickle making my eyes water), having again refused spray of a local anesthetic that I found early-on to produce an annoying nasal discharge for the rest of the day following scoping. The detailed endoscope examination of my treated tissues in my oropharynx, and palpation of my neck to feel for swollen lymph nodules, provided me the assurance that I had had no recurrence. Dr. Quon also congratulated me on being cured. As we shook  hands in farewell, and he reminded me (uncessesarily) that tests every six months of my thyroid stimulating hormone level are essential, I told him that I always enjoyed my appointments with him over the past five years, as much for his agreeable nature as for his professional capabilities.

So I wish anybody who has found this blog because they were or are anticipating or enduring the challenges of diagnosis and treatment of HPV-caused head and neck cancer, or have loved ones so challenged, the best of luck in their treatment and follow-up, and that they keep faith in our dedicated medical professionals, doctors, PA's, nurses, phlebotomists, therapists, radiologists, and their office assistants. I'm deeply grateful for the excellent care and positive attitudes of all who have contributed to my care at Johns Hopkins and those of my fellow patients, many who shared Damaris's and my life during treatment in Hope Lodge, the American Cancer Society residence in Baltimore for patients in Baltimore hospitals undergoing cancer treatment.

Happy Holidays to all!