Treatment Plan

So what's the plan?  Well here it is, the treatment for me is called CVP + R  and is a combination of pills and IV drugs.

C= Cyclophosphamide, V=Vincristine, P=Prednisone and the R=Rituximab

C&V are typical chemo drugs that generally kill or weaken specific types of cells in the body, both cancerous and non-cancerous.  P is a steroid and helps the body provide energy  and encourages new cell production.  R is pretty cool, it is a monoclonal anti-body that target a specific protein molecule (CD-20) on the outside of my cancerous blood cells.  Once attached to the cell R flags the immune system that it is a foreign entity and needs to be dealt with, thus the cancerous cell is destroyed by the immune system.  This is a very targeted medication that is relatively new (a couple of decades) and has really changed the success of treating my type of cancer.

So I am on a three week cycle which means that every third week I have a treatment and then for the next two weeks my body will recover from the treatment, they will run some blood tests to ensure I am recovered enough for the next cycle and repeat.  After 4 cycles I will have a PET scan to see if the cancer is gone, if yes I will be done after 4 treatments; if not then I will go to 6 and have another scan, if it is gone I am done; if not I will have 8 treatments.  Here's hoping for 4.

For the first cycle I will take P by pill for 5 days and have C & V by IV on day one followed by R by IV on day two.  This is because R can cause allergic reactions and they need to give it to me very slowly for the first treatment (8 - 10 hours).  For the remainder of the cycles C,V & R will be given on day 1.

So that is the treatment and it starts for me next Thursday (13th) AM.  If you want more details on it you can go to the following link, http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/30FDD508-96AC-4555-B682-294EA3635B06/54985/LYCVPR_Protocol_1Jan2012.pdf

So I will have no surgery and no radiation!