A quick history on my wife, before I begin. BRACA-2 posititive. Early 2012. Ovarian, PPC or Fallopian Tube Cancer, pick your poison. Four different Doctors can't agree amongst themselves on which one. But the consensus now is that it probably started in the Fallopian tubes. So for the sake of argument, we call it Ovarian cancer. In 2014 TNBC. January 2018, reoccurring ovarian and TNBC at the same time. After eight months of chemo and radiation. Started on the PARP inhibitor Zejula. After being on it for six weeks, her blood counts crashed. So the oncologist had her stop taking it. After a few weeks the oncologist had her start taking it again. One week later her counts crashed again. So she stopped taking it again. So my wife started having weekly blood tests. Here's were this story gets interesting. About two weeks ago at nine thirty at night. The phone rings, and it's her oncologist calling. She tells us that because of all the chemo treatments that my wife has had over the past seven. She thinks that she may have developed AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). And that she needs to get down to Stanford University ASAP for blood work and a bone marrow biopsy. So last Monday she had the blood work and biopsy done. We went back on Wednesday, and met with a team of Hematology oncologists for four hours to go over her test results. Their conclusion was that she has MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndrome). Which is a precursor to developing AML. Her blast count is 12-14%. At 20% it is considered AML. One of the treatment options is to have a stem cell transplant to try and cure it. But because of her having had Ovarian cancer, and the high likelihood of it reoccuring again. They won't do it. So the only option left for her is to start on the chemo drug Azacitidine to try to get it into remission, and not progress into AML. So treatments will be seven day straight each month. And lab work twice a week between the monthly treatments. So I asked the oncologist. If we are able to get it into remission, can she take a break from the chemo? Their answer was no. They said that she will be on it for the rest of her life. Or until the drug quits working, or if my wife says no mas. Now here's the part that the you ladies might find interesting. The oncologist said that they see alot of cancer patients who develop AML. And that it is generally 6-8 years after treatment. And in my wife's case, the main culprit was probably the platin drugs Carbo and Cisplatin. And also the cytoxan that they used to treat her breast cancer. And also that some of of new PARP inhibitors can cause it. But since my wife wasn't on Zejula that long, it probably was not the cause. But it could have been the straw that broke the camels back. So I then asked the doctor. Since my wife is platin resistant. And that it worked so well in knocking down her ovarian cancer twice. What are her options if she has anotheir reoccurrence? The oncologist didn't say anything. She just shook her head, and shrugged her shoulders. So then I asked her. Since Avastin had kept my wife NED for several years. If she went back onto Avastin as maintenance. Would that have any negativie affect on the drug that she will be on. They said no. So that's something that I will be discussing with her regular oncologist. So she gets her first infusion today. The first of seven in a row, Saturday's and Sunday's included. The one thing that I have quickly learned about AML is this. Just like we tell ladies to find a good gynecologist oncologist to treat their ovarian cancer. If you develop AML. It's a "MUST" that you go to a cancer center that specializes in treating it. So I won't takeup anymore of your time. I've been up all night stressed and worried out of my mind about it, while my wife has been sound asleep. LOL, you would think it would be the other way around. But like I told her seven years ago when she was first diagnosed with ovarian. You just keep on living and enjoying your life. And leave all the research and worrying to me. It's going to be a long day today, and I need to try and get a couple of hours of sleep before we go. So I will keep you updated on this new journey that we are about to embark on. Take care ladies. And always try to live your lives to the fullest. Because nobody knows what tomorrow has in store for us.
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