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#1174 05-18-2003 02:00 PM
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 188
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 188
Anita.......The blood work being done is to look for cancer markers that identify if something is wacky in the body....cancer. I think. I forgot to mention that I also saw my RAD oncologist every quarter for about a year after i finished treatment. I was more than happy the day my oncologist gave me the six month check up routine. It put my life on a more even keel not having to worry about the CT scans ect. It felt like I'd just get over one CT scan, have a week or two without worry and then it was time again for the next quarterly scan. Three months goes by quickly; six months is a bit more doable in terms of anxiety and worry. Sincerely, Donna


SCC first time 1989, with a diagnoses of 'cancer in situ' removed lesion, no other treatments.
SCC recurrence 1997 of tongue and floor of the mouth. Stage III /IV Hemmiglossectomy (removed over 60% of tongue/ floor of the mouth), free flap, modified neck, RAD and Chemo(cisplatin, 5fu) simutainously.
Cancer free 6, yes, six, years!
#1175 05-18-2003 04:47 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
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Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
In my case the blood work was to look at white and red cell counts see look for anemia and how my immune system is doing.


Gary Allsebrook
***********************************
Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
#1176 05-18-2003 05:36 PM
Joined: Mar 2002
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OCF Founder
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Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)

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Treatment related blood work is one issue...as various poisons, (radiation and chemotherapy), alter our bodies in negative ways. A look at your blood is a look at the physical system overall, and how well it is tolerating the treatment. This type of blood work has little to do with disease. Then there are tests which identify infectious agents, or the process of immune response to infections, both viral and bacterial. These either find the agent itself or show irregular proportions of the normal elements of the blood, the most obvious being white cells and other macrophages, which indicate that an immune response to something is going on. What that response is to, isn't specific, but that something is happening and your body is responding to it, is something that becomes evident, by looking at the balance of normally occurring elements of the blood. But in the realm of cancers, they are usually looking for tumor-associated antigens, or tumor specific antigens (TSA's). Some TSA


Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
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