Wednesday March 12, 2025 RadioTherapy Treatment #5 (watch the explanatory video below.)
This morning I found this video accurately describing the Linear Accelerator (LINAC) at the foundation of my radiation treatment. "It customizes high energy X-rays (electrons) to conform to a tumor's shape to destroy the cancer while minimizing the dose to surrounding normal critical tissue."
Radiation oncologist
Tuesday March 11, 2025 Radiation therapy treatment #4 today. Today Ella informed me that the radiotherapy accelerator, True Beam, is made by a company called Varian.4 Special note: this photo has been edited to illustrate where the invisible beam is generated.
Because I taught anatomy and physiology for 39 years before retirement, I asked Ella if she would teach me one fact each time I come for a treatment. I want to learn from the experts. https://jpneylon.github.io/ABR/UCLA_PhysicsReview/0-BeamLine-Components.pdf
I’ve decided to drive straight home today cause I am eager to write. I want to lay out a map of the world with pinpoints to show where all of my treatment team comes from Dr. Kim was born in Michigan, Ella is from eastern Russia. Narges is from Shiraz Iran, Sohi was born in Iran then moved to Kerman Italy. Yesterday I imagined a map of the world to illustrate how far members of my care team have come to treat my cancer.
March 10, 2025 zzz
February, 16, 2025 Living with cancer and navigating it’s sometimes stormy seas. This is the log of that journey.
Being extra vigilant, Dr. Pasin sent my prostate biopsy out for DNA testing, which reveals that the cancer cells are an aggressive form that requires Radiotherapy.
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer five months ago. Four weeks later it was identified as an aggressive form. Yes it’s stage three cancer which means that it’s escaped the prostate and is out to move freely throughout the body. That is until a month of testosterone suppressing hormone therapy. I’ve learned that testosterone fuels the growth of prostate cancer cells.” Without testosterone, prostate cancer cells cannot grow and proliferate. Hence, a one month prescription of bicalutamide followed by Lupron injections every 3 months prescribed to block the effect of testosterone and stop the growth and spread of cancer cells. I just had my 2nd Lupron injection and scheduled another psa blood test in preparation for Lupron #3 in May.
I’ve discovered that having cancer affects not only the patient but the whole family as well.
I've been diagnosed with the low-risk prostate cancer described in this link: #1 Click HERE for details:
"Low-risk prostate cancer often grows very slowly, or doesn't grow at all. Because of this, a treatment approach known as "active surveillance" can be considered as an alternative to radiotherapy or surgery. In this approach, the tumor is monitored regularly and only treated with radiotherapy or surgery if it grows." This is the path I'll be considering.
Though, to be extra vigilant, Dr. Pasin (my excellent urologist) ordered my recent biopsy be sent to a DNA lab for further study to:
"...to determine if there is a genetic mutation that increases risk of the more aggressive form of prostate cancer or if my family is at risk."
But there's a delay, the lab is heavily backlogged:
I just talked to Paula, Dr. Pasin's office manager. She has traced the prostate biopsy DNA delay back to an outside lab that is seriously backlogged. At my request she will: A. ask Dr. Pasin to press Dr. Su (at the lab) to expedite. and B. She also agreed to get admin. names and phone numbers at Dr. Su's lab so that I can hound them. Next, I will research other labs (not backlogged) that will shorten the wait time.
#2 December 11, 2024 Here's what I've learned since that biopsy. The DNA lab came back with a finding of "high risk prostate cancer." We later learned that those aggressive cancer cells have "escaped" from the prostate gland into nearby tissue. Dr. Pasin referred me to a Dr. Paul Kim, a top tier Stanford grad, Yale Med school, radiation oncologist who is an exceptional teacher in his ability to tell us all the most important information in a direct and sensitive manner. For example: precision-targeted-low-dose radiation will take 6 weeks with that low dose treatment 5 days a week to minimize radiation side effects.
#3 The importance of a second opinion led Patricia (my wife) to online research where she found UCI Health, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.
#4 Click HERE for a decision aid for patients with prostate cancer.
#5 This link describes the genetics of prostate cancer that I've just begun to study since the DNA analysis may require family history information.
Click HERE for DNA test details:
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