Just The Facts: Conlin's Health Update

I’ve been waiting to post an update about Conlin’s progress battling Cancer because things have been in a weird kind of limbo. Just after the first of the year, he had another PET scan to check on the progress of the targeted treatments he was taking. Unfortunately, the results of the PET scan showed mixed results. The targeted treatment worked in some areas, but it looked as though the cancer grew and spread to other areas.

His doctor changed his course of treatment to a more general and more intense treatment regimen, and also ordered another biopsy. Here is the confusing part. He had a needle biopsy of his liver, and the cells came back showing inflammation but not lymphoma. They suspected that it moved to his liver, but maybe not?

Because the targeted treatment wasn’t as successful as they hoped, the doctor really wanted to get a new sample to make sure he was getting the right treatment. They did another biopsy of his spleen, and sent it straight to UCSF.

While waiting for the results from UCSF, Conlin had two rounds of the new Chemo regimen. This includes a spinal treatment and four days at the infusion center getting his drugs over 4-5 hours. Overall, he handled the treatments very well. He had a little pain and some nausea, but a few days after each treatment he feels pretty normal. He is still working from home, and exercising every day. His appetite is great, and overall feels well.

After two rounds, he had another PET Scan and the results from the spleen biopsy came in. The spleen biopsy showed abnormal cells, but no lymphoma yet again. It is a perplexing result, but nobody is really upset about not finding cancer cells.

The PET Scan results this time are really encouraging. Overall the cancer is greatly reduced or nearly gone in most places. His lungs still show small spots, and possibly a few new spots. Overall, the doctor was very pleased with the results. After his third round of the new treatment and one more spinal treatment, he will be starting the process to prepare for stem cell transplant.

Stem Cell Transplant has been the goal from the beginning as it will give him the best chance of long term remission. It is a very intense process and Conlin still has a long road ahead of him, but like always we are feeling very positive about the future. We are very grateful for the offers of help and prayers. We have felt loved and cared for throughout this whole process and it really does make a huge difference. Thank you!