Transplant doctor, Han Myint, MD and Dana Godec, RN Visit August 18 2011

Before I left the Apheresis Department today, the UCH Transplant Doctor, Dr. Han Myint, and my Transplant Coordinator, Dana Godec, RN came to visit with my bone marrow results which were finally completed late yesterday. As predicted by the preliminary results, my bone marrow has reduced from 80 percent cancer to between 5 and 10 percent cancer with the Velcade and Revlimid chemotherapy I've received.

However, the cytogenetics of my bone marrow (the chromosomal studies) show that my remaining cancer cells have mutated and I have many additional chromosomal changes that I did not have at the time of diagnosis. Dr. Myint said the cancer is smart and is trying to mutate and continue growing around my Velcade chemotherapy. 

I asked Dr. Myint if more chemotherapy would be in line to try to get me in complete remission. He said the cytogenetics of my cancer made the probability of complete remission (CR) with Velcade not promising. In fact, my cancer has mutated from diagnosis of 4/14 translocation and deletion of 13 to a whole string of new chromosomal defects.

I asked Dr. Myint what he would do if he had my type of multiple myeloma and he said he’d do more chemotherapy to try to achieve CR and attempt harvest again. He wants to hospitalize me this coming Tuesday, August 23^rd for 4 days and give me:

·         Thalidomide po

·         Velcade IV

·         Decadron IV

·         Adriamycin IV

·         Cytoxan IV

·         Etoposide IV

·         Cisplatin IV

After that I would be discharged and give myself Neupogen 780 mcg each day for 9-10 days and somewhere in there – I'd have another bone marrow biopsy.

Then, re-harvest my stem cells on September 6^th for Transplant on September 13^th. They won't throw the stem cells I've already harvested out (estimated to have at least 1 percent cancer in them), but they will save those too.

Canceled my Stem Cell Harvest Day 4 for tomorrow.