NYC

We have had a great trip to NYC, and are just getting ready to head home. We arrived Tuesday night and had a wonderful barbecue dinner at Virgil's BBQ just off of Times Square. You don't necessarily think of BBQ in NY, but it was great. We spent Wednesday morning walking all over midtown. We know we are truly parents now because the only purchases we made were toys at FAO Schwartz! We then saw West Side Story at the Palace Theater on Broadway. It was a fantastic show. After the show we met up with some friends from the MMB (Michigan Marching Band); Seiji, Scozz, and Sammy. Fred surprised the group by joining us late for dinner as well (he was in town on a business trip). Yesterday was a long day, we were at Sloan-Kettering from 10 am until 6 pm. We were able to follow our long day with a wonderful dinner thanks to my Aunt and Uncle.

The appointment went well. They presented me with two choices for treatment. One is the oral chemo that was previously recommended, and the other is a new clinical trial at Sloan-Kettering. The doctors here did not feel that I was a candidate for surgery or radiation, the same as I have been told previously. The oral chemo (VP-16) is the current standard of care, and the only drug FDA approved for my current situation. Unfortunately it is not a cure. Only a small percentage of patients are cured by this chemo regimine. The clinical trial offered is a Phase II study of another platinum drug (Oxaliplatin) in combination with flavopiridol; a drug they believe enhances the effects of Oxaliplatin in germ-cell tumors. In a phase I trial of these drugs involving patients with various types of cancer, 6 out of 8 patients with germ-cell tumors had a positive response to theses drugs. While none of them were cured, that is a very promising outcome from a Phase I trial.

In a Phase I trial the goal is to determine the safe dosages of a drug. So throughout the study they are adjusting the dosage to monitor toxicity to determine the drugs safety. In the Phase II study they use the information garnered in the Phase I study to give everyone the same dose, and the goal is to determine the drugs efficacy. This particular study just opened up last week, and I am actually the first patient they have offered this to, so I guess this is truly the cutting edge.

At this point we have signed up for the study, but can still change our mind as we mull it over some more. It sounds like a great idea, and it does not prevent me from proceeding with the oral chemo later if this treatment does not work. It will mean more trips to NYC. I will have to return every other week for treatment, starting as soon as next week. So we will have more time to see the sites in NYC.

I will provide more info on the study as I learn more, and after we get home. I just wanted to pass on the basics before we head home. Thank you all for your prayers and support!