As we could see yesterday from the images off of the disc we got after the scan, the PET/CT report given to us by the doctor this morning showed that Lisa's cancer is growing, though at a relatively slow rate compared to other times during the last two years.  Her primary lung tumors are moderately larger, and there is a new 1-3/4 inch tumor along one of her ribs, as well as a small new one on her lower spine.  The tumor on her hip, though, actually shrunk by more than 60% since the April scan, and the tumor in her femur has stayed stable.  We were told that as cancer progresses, especially when it's seen multiple chemotherapy types, often it is not homogeneous throughout the body so different tumors or clusters respond differently to the same treatment.

The issue now is what the next course of treatment would be.  The current chemo mix has lessened effectiveness so the doctor's recommendation is to go to a combination of Cisplatin and Etoposide (VP-16).  This is a very "harsh" treatment as far as likely side-effects, including nausea, hair loss, anemia and associated fatigue, possible kidney issues, and impact on the immune system.  We plan to take a couple of weeks to research and make decisions.

Because Lisa is still running a fever after all of the antibiotics she's had, and her lungs are clear and white blood cell count normal, the doctor thinks her fever is "tumor fever" (neoplastic fever), which she's had before, as her body reacts to substances put off by the cancer cells.  As I write this, she's running 100.2F.