Meet the oncologist

April 28. I finally met the onclogy team (doctor, primary care nurse and interns - I'm usually willing to help up and coming med students). The doctor was very straightforward with his prognosis and recommendations for treatment. There is a 20 per cent chance the cancer will return if I have chemotherapy. What a choice. No choice at all. I have to be greatful that I live a city with a superior cancer clinic and cancer research facilities. If I lived in a more remote part of the country my treatment options might not be so easy.

Chemotherapy will be given in 6 sessions every 21 days. This will be followed by 25 sessions of radiation.

Prior to chemo I had:
- a heart wall muscle test done to set a baseline (there is a risk of damage to the heart from chemo)
- ultra sound of major organs and abdomen to determine if there were any abnormalities
- a bone scan to check for signs of cancer in the bones