We met with Dr. Burstein this afternoon at Dana-Farber. He was nice to talk to, and he was very blunt about Lori’s diagnosis. We didn’t really learn anything new about the prognosis, but we did gain his philosophy on treatment. Bottom line: he is similar to Dr S. but he seemed more excited about a couple of trial options than Dr. S. does.
He wrote down all of his recommendations. Like Dr. S., he also recommends another stab at chemo while we continue to explore some immunotherapy options and some new inhibitor trial drugs. I think that the biggest thing we gained was knowledge about some new trials for women who are BRCA + (genetic mutations predisposing some people toward getting cancer). The problem is that we don’t know if she’s BRCA + because we haven’t finished the tests with the IU genetics lab. Dr. Burstein encouraged us to quickly get those done, and if Lori is positive, then he would encourage us to look into PARP inhibitors. They aren’t a cure, but they have shown very promising results in early testing for women with TNBC and who are BRCA +.
So, we will return to Indiana tomorrow and continue chemo with Dr. S this Friday. Pending Lori’s physical reaction to the new chemo, we plan to return to NC together on/around 10 Aug. After that, we’ll see but we will likely try to continue treatment for a time with an oncologist at UNC. Dr. Lisa Carey was recommended by Dr. Burstein. Apparently, she is a great oncologist at UNC who specializes in TNBC and has been asked to speak at Dana-Farber numerous times. She should be a solid option, and it would prevent us from having to travel back and forth to IN while we figure things out. I’m still trying to work out PCS orders to Dayton. We don’t have a timeline for that yet (or if it’s even available).
Right now, I can really only plan about a month out. Beyond that, I’m not sure. That’s ok though. We’re used to that now.
Lori says some incredible things sometimes. I’ve had a great time with her in Boston. It has been a good trip for us together.
Leave a Reply