Round Two

 This is one of several MD Anderson hospital buildings. They are connected by skywalks and it is completely amazing here. The staff is incredible to work with and everything seems to run smoothly which is amazing for such a large place.

We had Cleve's second consult today with Dr. Wen-Jen Hwu. She has a laundry list of credits and qualifications and has an abundant knowledge of not only the field but of past and present studies on melanoma. She has conducted her own studies as well as having over 45 published articles on the subject. This appointment gave us completely different information and recommendations than our last one. Dr. Hwu's main concern is if Cleve's melanoma has a positive BRAF gene mutation. If it is, then he can be a part of a study that involves medications that destroy the cells containing the BRAF gene, therefor destroying the tumor. There is also no placebo group in this study. It doesn't matter which stage Cleve is in to receive this treatment. If he is BRAF negative then her suggested treatment is interferon, interleukin-2 and chemotherapy together. It is a very aggressive approach but as we know melanoma is a very aggressive cancer. It also helps that Cleve is young and in otherwise perfect health. There is a very strict monthly followup schedule to monitor the tumor, perform scans and blood tests and assess his general health and response to the medications. Please keep in mind that this is a very condensed version of todays appointment.

Over all we left this appointment feeling a little bit more optimistic than in Portland. Yes, it would be a lot of traveling. But what is most important is that we felt that Dr. Hwu is current on studies, the field, and up and coming medications. She has her finger on the pulse of melanoma studies, at the forefront, conducting her own clinical trials and applying her own ideas at a top rated cancer hospital. While the fact that Cleve will most likely be dealing with this disease for a very long time, I think the difference between the two appointments is that here in Houston there were a bit more choices for therapy at different stages or circumstances that are maybe more cutting edge.

So now we are just waiting on the results of the BRAF testing being done at OHSU. Once that is done we can hopefully get the ball rolling on a treatment for Cleve for whichever option we decide.