We debated a little bit about which treatment option was the best, but everything seemed so rushed that we didn't have much time to really think about it. He was to begin treatments three weeks after surgery, and he had gotten home from the rehab center just a couple days before the point of starting treatments. From our research, we knew that radiation was pretty much a must. The long-term survivors with his cancer had all received radiation. We were more hesitant about chemo. Chemo is a drug that works through the blood system, but the brain has a blood barrier that chemo can't penetrate. There is a newer chemo drug that had been out about 7 years that was showing some effectiveness. The only time we actually heard any sort of statistic was when his neuro oncologist told us that the chemo was improving the survival rate to 5 years from 2% to 10%. So with chemo, he now has a 10% chance to make it 5 years. I will discuss our thoughts on the statistics and his prognosis a little later.
For a few days before he was to begin treatment, we started looking heavily at clinical treatment options, but we felt rushed. We felt like we needed to get going with SOMETHING or this tumor was going to start growing back. I think it's a common feeling, but totally false. Generally, the people who actually take their time and do research and contemplate treatments are the ones that are happier with their treatment and seem to do better. We knew that by starting the chemo/radiation plan, we were limiting future options. Many clinical trials won't accept somebody who has done chemo and radiation. But we were happy with our choice.
Jared was scheduled for 33 radiation treatments, to be give Monday-Friday. The "plan" was for him to start work again at the end of November, and because he works downtown in Salt Lake, he would just drive to his treatments during his lunch break. That plan was very successful for about a week (because of reasons mentioned later).
With radiation, they fit his head with a tight mask and the treatments are very precise. People receiving brain radiation 10-15 years ago suffered from horrible side effects - losing teeth, sterlization, etc. but because it is more precise now, they thought he would tolerate it quite well.
His chemo, temodar, is a pill he takes nightly for 5 days on a 28-day cycle. They had him on a minimum dose during radiation, then bumped him to a full dose once he was finished with radiation. He usually has 1-2 bad days a month from chemo, usually starting a couple days after he finishes his 5 days. His blood count levels are the lowest on day 21, making him more susceptible to illness. Overall, chemo hasn't been too bad, and we really can't complain! It definitely beats the IV drip!! He will be on chemo for a year, if everything goes well. He is looking forward to being off of it in January!!
