Good news!! Biopsy results . . .

I finally received my biopsy results yesterday and I got the best news possible - my follicular lymphoma has not transformed into a more aggressive type of lymphoma!!!! My family, Michelle and I were all very relieved to get this news :) Transformation into a more aggressive lymphoma has a terrible prognosis, so the news was very reassuring that I'm not going anywhere any time soon.

My oncologist does want me to undergo chemotherapy, however. While it's good news that my lymphoma has not transformed, my onc stated that we still need to get my disease under control. He recommended 2 treatment options. One treatment option is a chemo drug called Bendamustine (also known as Treanda). The chemo would last 6 months, but it is very well tolerated and I most likely would not lose my hair :) I know I shouldn't care so much about whether or not I lose my hair, but when you lose your hair it's like you lose all semblance of normalcy and every time you look in the mirror you see a sick person. So keeping my hair does, in a weird way, make me feel better.

The other treatment option is a clinical trial involving Bendamustine and a new drug called Ofatumumab (I know a mouthful, right?!) Let's call it O-mab for short. O-mab is like Rituxan in that it is a monoclonal antibody designed to only kill the cells in my body that cause cancer. Unlike Rituxan, it is an all human drug (Rituxan has mouse in it). The clinical trial is designed to see if adding O-mab to Bendamustine is beneficial to treating follicular lymphoma.

I have to admit that choosing between the 2 treatment options is proving to be harder than I anticipated. If I choose to go with the clinical trial I will have to get a few more tests done - one is a bone marrow biopsy. The thought of having another bone marrow biopsy is not very appealing in that the 1st one I had was very painful. But I know I shouldn't make the treatment decision based on that factor alone.

So that's where I am right now - deciding between treatment options. If I go with Bendamustine alone, I will probably start chemo this week. If I go with the clinical trial, I'll most likely have the bone marrow biopsy later in the week.

I'll keep you updated . . .

Thanks again to my very kind and loving support network - your thoughts, well wishes, kind words, love and support make all the difference!!

Love,
Ness