Surgical Candidate

For months, we have waited to hear the news that we heard today: Derek is officially a surgical candidate. At Derek's initial diagnosis in January, Dr. K at the University of Chicago categorized Derek's tumor as borderline resectable to non-resectable because it had invaded a blood vessel known as the celiac artery. Dr. K's goal was to blast Derek with eight rounds of a chemotherapy regimen called Folfirinox to shrink the tumor enough so that it might become resectable. In collaboration with Dr. A at the Kellogg Center in Highland Park, our oncology team kept focused on one goal: provide Derek with as much chemotherapy as his body could tolerate to get him to surgery. Today, we received the best news we could possibly hope for in Derek's battle against pancreatic cancer.

As we waited to see Dr. K today, optimism and hope permeated the small exam room. We already knew that Derek's CA19-9 tumor marker was registering within a normal range and a surgeon we met with last week at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York told us that he felt Derek's tumor could be removed with surgery. All we needed now was confirmation that the team at the University of Chicago concurred with the surgeon at Sloan Kettering.

At a past appointment, Dr. K compared Derek's tumor to a mass of aluminum cans. No matter how much you compact the cans, they will never fully disappear. This is exactly the case with the tumor cells that still exist in Derek's pancreas. Though the tumor can still be seen on his scans, Dr. K was giddy with excitement as she spoke of Derek's dramatic response to the Folfirinox chemotherapy. The chemo has made such a significant difference in the size of Derek's tumor that it is now considered a resectable tumor, a result that is only achieved by a small percentage of patients.

Because Derek is able to tolerate the Folfirinox so well, Dr. K has recommended that beginning tomorrow, Derek continue with an additional 2-4 rounds of chemotherapy. We plan to meet with the surgeon at the University of Chicago as early as next week to learn the specific approach he recommends for the removal of Derek's tumor. If all goes well, we anticipate surgery at the end of the summer.

While our journey is far from over, we recognize that we must fight many small battles to win a much larger war. Today, we celebrate a small victory in knowing that Derek's tumor is now resectable. Our goal from the beginning was to get Derek to surgery, and we are beyond grateful to have reached this milestone.

Thank you for the love, support and encouragement so many have shown us these past few months. Though at times the winter felt impossibly long, we welcome the hope of spring and the promise of a successful surgery this summer. Once we have met with the surgeon, we will share more details with everyone.