Results are in...kinda

The answer is long. For those who do not want to read through it, her cancer levels did not go up. In our world if it isn't bad news; it's good news!

Hannah had a spinal procedure this week. Part of it was to give her chemo in her spinal column and part of it was a bone marrow check for cancer. This BMA was collected for research only and it is going to a larger study. That study is evaluating kids like Hannah who have some residual cancer left in their bodies after induction. The current method of treating the kids who didn't respond well to the first round of chemo is to give them more aggressive chemo. The data they are collecting will determine if that plan actually helps or if the rate of relapse stays the same regardless.

The reason I explained all that, is the results I was waiting for from her BMA are not really available to me or her doctors. They are for research. As her team of doctors explained to me yesterday, unless her cancer levels changed they will not release the numbers, even to the doctors. They can't risk comprising the study.

So, her protocol stays the same. Her risk and prognosis stays the same. I have to be honest, that is not exactly what I was hoping for. I was hoping they were going to tell me her cancer levels were at zero after all that crazy chemo. On the plus side, it isn't worse! And I can live with that. ;-) Hannah has had good energy and appetite all week, which is very nice. Working every day to beat back that feeding tube.

Hope you all have a great weekend!