Surviving Cancer

My husband, Mike was diagnosed with Stage 1 Esophageal Cancer May 2006. His cancer was most likely caused by Acid Reflux (Barrett’s Esophagus). He was scheduled for surgery to remove his esophagus in June 2006 at the recommendation of his gastroenterologist. This surgery is the standard in the US for esophageal cancer. It comes with a high mortally rate and is life altering.

I was questioning why we had to do something so drastic when Mike’s cancer looked like it was so early. I did research online and found another procedure that is the standard for early (Stage 0-1) esophageal cancer in Japan. Japan detects early esophageal cancer more often than the US, as they do routine upper GI tests. In the US we don’t usually find it early, therefore Mike’s case was unusual.

The new procedure (EMR) Endoscopic Mucosal Resection is much less evasive and does not require surgery. It basically clips off the cancer from the esophagus wall with a tool attached to an endoscope. We found out a few hospitals in the US use this treatment for early esophageal cancer.

Last year John Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic were the two top hospitals for this treatment. Now, I hear there are more top hospitals taking this approach for early esophageal cancer.

My husband had the ERM procedure at Johns Hopkins. We live in California. He also had another additional procedure (PDT) Photo Dynamic Therapy to just make sure we got all the cancer. This procedure requires an injection with a chemical “Photofrin”. This chemical is activated by light to become a cancer-fighting agent. For 2 days the Photorin collects in the cancerous areas and dissipates from the other areas of the body. (Except his skin) The doctor then goes down his throat with a laser endoscope and exposed the areas of his esophagus that may sill have cancer or pre-cancerous cells with the laser light. It basically burns off the lining of the esophagus. It was very painful for a few weeks and he was photosensitive for about 3 months. He had to cover up from head to toe, as he could not be exposed to any outside light, direct or indirect. He then gradually could have indirect/direct exposure to sunlight. Indoor lighting was okay. But at night, after the sun down, Mike was a free man.

After the PDT treatments, Mike needed 7-8 dilations. Because of the scare tissue from the PDT, he developed some strictures. This requires the doctors to go down with a balloon and open up the area – over and over again.

Three months after these procedures my husband was tested and was CANCER FREE. And by this time he was feeling good and back to normal. His every 3-month check up since has been the same - CANCER FREE. Next month we are going back to John Hopkins for his year check up. Then he will only have to go every 6 months for check ups. He looks and feels great. He is taking better care of himself and we are grateful we had the options we did.

Our Doctor at Johns Hopkins has done a 10-year study on the combination of the ERM and PDT. Her finding has these treatments at a 93% CURE rate. This includes pre-cancerous and early cancer (Stage 0-1) patients.

The moral of all this is to demand an upper GI test if you are experiencing any Acid Reflux. Mike had to beg the doctors for an upper GI at the same time as his scheduled colonoscopy. He wanted to be put “out” completely during the procedure. That was the only reason for the Upper GI - he had none of the cancer symptoms. I have since learned that symptoms usually mean the cancer is advanced and there are not the options available we had.

There are many new treatments and procedures in this area. New procedures to detect and stage Esophageal Cancer and new treatments like the Halo 360 to kill the cancer. This cancer is one of the fastest rising cancers in the US. Therefore, there is a push to look for new ways to fight it. Do your research it could save your life. But don’t take it lightly, this is a very serious cancer. We were lucky because we caught it early.