Emalee has completed all of her scans at Sloan Kettering and they came back clean….she is still N.E.D.!!!  We are so very thankful and happy for the news!  After a long discussion with her neuroblastoma team of doctors at Sloan Kettering last week, they decided that it would be in Emalee’s best interest medically to continue on with more treatment!  They feel that since the tumor that was removed in June by Dr. LaQuaglia was still live, active neuroblastoma even after she had completed over a year & a 1/2 of chemo, transplant, radiation and ch14-18/IL2/Accutane antibody therapy, that they do not want to take any chances with leaving anything behind that could not be detected by scans because it would most likely be viable neuroblastoma!  So the plan is now to start a 3F8 antibody trial this coming Monday Oct. 3, 2011 at Sloan Kettering in NYC.  Em has already started the trial by getting GMCSF shots which began this past Wed. and she will contiue getting them through the week of the 3F8 antibodies. They last for a total of 10 days during each round of antibodies. The 3F8 treatment will all be done on an outpatient basis M-F at Sloan with a 2 to 4 week break in between cycles and is known to be extremely painful for the kids!  I am praying her little body tolerates the treatment and that she is not in too much pain!  We have been told it is very similar to the antibodies she had once before and they were very painful for her then, so needless to say I am somewhat anxious for her to begin this trial knowing what she has already went through with the other antibodies! They doctors also said that because she has not had a very high dose chemo in awhile, that she may “HAMA” rather quickly (which basically means that her body will produce an antibody towards the antibody they are giving her and will pretty much make what they are giving her ineffective) so then they will have to make a decision whether to keep her on it or not, but if she doesn’t “HAMA” they said they will continue with the 3F8 antibodies for a period of 2 years or until she does. So this means we will be traveling regularly to NYC and staying at the Ronald McDonald house while we are there.  She will also have to start taking accutane again as well.  It was practically impossible to get it in her last time and it made her rather mean as well, so I am praying it goes a lot better this time too!  Please keep her in your prayers that this 3F8 anitbody trial is effective at getting rid of any neurblastoma cells that are left undetected in her body and that she is not in too much pain while getting the antibodies and everything goes well for her as she continues her battle against neurblastoma with this next phase of treatment! I will keep you all updated as to how she does though cycle 1 of 3F8! Thanks so much!

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