I've been promising this. I'm not sure I'm going to do a great technical job explaining these pics, but here goes. These are MRI sections through Asa's belly at the same point on the body but different dates. Imagine cutting him in half at the liver level. Both were taken at two different points before the second chemo embolization straight to the liver several weeks ago. The left pic is before any chemo. The right is after one systemic round. Notice the portal vein (arrow). The tumor has shrunk in second pic but the portal vein moved with the tumor. In order to remove the tumor, the tumor has to pull away from that vein with a margin to cut it out and remove it. The size of tumor is immaterial. It is the margin that matters.
Please keep in mind that we have not taken MRI images in several weeks and have had another systemic chemo since. At this point, the tumor has shrunk very significantly. Asa's belly is now squishy, feeling nothing there where you see the black words "tumor" written on both images. We can't measure how much, just that we can't really feel much there now. This does not mean the tumor has shrunk away from the portal vein. It could still be attached to it. That remains to be seen in next MRI. This is what we are requesting prayer for - that there would be a margin between vein and tumor.
Asa will have another systemic chemo approx April 28. He will have a small outpatient dose this week as well. A few weeks after those chemos we will have new images and a further action plan.
Please keep in mind that we have not taken MRI images in several weeks and have had another systemic chemo since. At this point, the tumor has shrunk very significantly. Asa's belly is now squishy, feeling nothing there where you see the black words "tumor" written on both images. We can't measure how much, just that we can't really feel much there now. This does not mean the tumor has shrunk away from the portal vein. It could still be attached to it. That remains to be seen in next MRI. This is what we are requesting prayer for - that there would be a margin between vein and tumor.
Asa will have another systemic chemo approx April 28. He will have a small outpatient dose this week as well. A few weeks after those chemos we will have new images and a further action plan.
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