Great news today! You may recall that the results of my immunofixation test have looked like this for the past nine years:
"Monoclonal gammopathy" is a fancy term for cancer, and I had it. Then, late last year, the results changed:
Still abnormal, but clearly below the level of firm detection. Today, I got my most recent test result:
Nothing abnormal and no cancer detected. Period. That doesn't mean the cancer is gone, of course, but it does mean it's finally dropped fully and completely below the level of detection using standard tests. What's more, my kappa/lambda light chain ratio has remained normal for the past three months. Technically, this means I have achieved a "stringent complete response," the best category of response. And it only took 11 months!
Next up: On Tuesday I receive the results of my prostate biopsy. Will I remain cancer free, sort of, or just trade one kind for another? Stay tuned.
Yeah!!!!
Incredibly good news!!
So glad for you. Hope this keeps up.
Woo hoo!!!! Congratulations Kevin!!! You da man!!!
That's great! I'm so happy for you, Kevin!
My "favorite" part of the prostate biopsy is that the results are presented as a "Gleason score" with the cells in each needle biopsy "core" rated according to the most predominant pattern and then the second most predominant pattern. Grade 1 are normal cells and Grade 5 are "high-grade" cancerous cells that have mutated so much that they barely look like normal cells.
But wait, we're not through. Next, the total score is derived by adding the first and second ratings together for a given sample. Usually no mutations are reported until the cells reach a level of 3 in the opinion of the pathologist looking through a microscope.
Therefore, a grade of 6 which sounds bad and was reported by my urologist as evidence of serious cancer that needed immediate attention is actually composed of two minimum ratings, which means that the level of mutated cells at that particular sampling site is low or very low.
Of course, there are only so many sampling sites in a given biopsy and the needle may have missed the bad stuff. Or it may have hit the only area that has cells with some level of mutation. Absent a tumor either felt or imaged, there's no good way of telling whether the cancer has all been located or if it is present at any serious level.
Bottom line: a grade of 6 is low. A grade of 7 is more concerning if the first number was 4 and the second 3, since that means that the most predominant cell mutations were worse than a 3. Given how slowly prostate cancer typically (but not always) grows, a period of "watchful waiting" may be the best thing to do if there are no samples higher than a 6 or a "low" seven (3+4). Opinions differ and at the end of the day it's up to the patient.
Wonderful news. So happy for you. CAR-T is one of the true miracles of modern molecular medicine.
but are all those figures adjusted for inflation?
Good for KD!! As a two time cancer survivor I am very glad for Kevin (and for us)
HELL YEAH!
I have followed you for probably 2 decades now. This is great news let's make it 3 or 4 more!
Doing the happy dance for you and yours!
Huzzah!
Great news, Kevin. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Congratulations, and the good news about any potential prostate situation is, you can just pluck that sucker out of there and nip it in the bud, so to speak.
Can't get better than that!
Congratulations, dude, and welcome to the survivor's club. And I'd chill on the prostate thing - over 50% of us have prostate cancer that is never detected (until our autopsy) and never affects us.