Hello All and especially Dr. Goodman!
I have been helping and advocating for my sister who has been surviving with OvCa for 5 1/2 years now thanks to the fact the we have researched the best treatments and gone to the doctors who are offering them- which has meant that she has flown to Boston to work with the team at MGH every year (with the exception of the past 2 in which she stuck with her docs in her home state, took the chemo they prescribed for 13 months, IV Cisplatin and then Doxil, and her cancer did not respond and she developed 2 tumors in her liver and 3 cancerous lymph nodes).
She should have stuck with MGH.
Thankfully she saw an article describing the success that Dr. Debra Gervais, from MGH of all places, has had in treating liver tumors from OvCa. She got in touch with both the oncologist and the radiologist and is now scheduled to have RFA on her tumors next week with a follow-up treatment of Avastin and another agent.
In doing more research, "google"ing "Radiofrequency Ablation cancer" I am really impressed with what has been accomplished with this therapy. It is being used to successfully treat tumors of the:
Liver, Kidney, Breast, Lung, Brain, Bone, Adrenal and Pancreas glands, Spleen, Prostate, Soft Tissue, Lymph Nodes and for Uterine Fibroids and Nerve Ablation.
It seems to, in most cases, kill the tumor and they do not return! You can't beat that!
Here is a great site that explains it very well:
http://www.ijri.org/article.asp?issn=0971-3026;year=2003;volume=13;issue=3;spage=315;epage=322;aulast=Nazir
I hope and pray that it helps my sister. The statistics are very encouraging.
The chemo is what worries me more. I hope the Avastin works and is less toxic.
But I'm perplexed at why in the world the oncologists aren't recommending this seemingly life extending treatment to most of their patients!
I know that they are different fields- oncology and radiology, but when something works then you add it to the "tool box" and it would seem that this should become a "gold standard" therapy, along with the "IP Cisplatin"- that MGH gave my sister 5 1/2 years ago (her home state doc said it would do no good)- and it gave her a 24 month cancer free remission!
With all due respect to you Dr. Goodman, and your fellow physicians (and I really do respect all of the wonderful doctors and staff at MGH, they have been incredible!)... Why did we have to ask for it? Why wasn't it suggested by any oncologist?
Are you going to suggest it now to your patients?
Thank you so much!
Crayolabarb