Radiation

We had a really great experience at the cancer institute. It is somewhat surreal seeing how many people are effected by cancer. We were able to talk with a resident radiation doctor who explained to us what germinoma was and how it is basically the same type of cells as a teratoma (the original tumour) but the difference is how abnormal they look under a microscope. The great news is the doctors were very positive and told us this cancer is very treatable and very curable. They hope in future scans to see only scar tissue or complete removal of the cancerous part of the tumour. The treatment all of the doctors on the tumour board decided was the best course of action was 6 weeks of radiation. This means everyday Monday to Friday Jeff will go to the cancer institute and weekends we will be able to come home. Treatment should take about an hour a day and the rest of the day I'm sure will be spent sleeping and resting. The hope is radiation will work to remove the cancer and chemotherapy will only be used as a last resort. A few tests still need to be done before his treatments start. Jeff has a few appointments next week to measure his head for a helmet type device that will hold his head in the proper place during treatment, another CT scan, and also visual field tests for a base line. A few more tests still need to be scheduled so treatment should start in about 2 weeks.