Hello all,

Jason had another PET/CT scan right before Christmas. We talked to his doctor at MD Anderson on the 28th, and we met with his local oncologist yesterday.

The scan showed stability in the areas we've been watching, without visible cancer growth or significant "tracer uptake" (those "glowing" parts of a PET scan that often indicate active cancer activity). This is great news—his cancer has continued responding to treatment!

So, is the cancer gone?

We don't know. On a PET scan, an area where cancer cells are "quiescent" (dormant, not spreading) can look the same as an area where the cancer cells have died. Uncertainty is part of the gig with metastatic cancer, and that means we can't stop treatment, but we take comfort in knowing that today, the news is good!

Where do we go from here?

We really appreciate Jason's local oncologist, who gives him various treatment options, including pros and cons, and takes the time to discuss the research with us. Those of you who know me (Beth) well probably aren't surprised that research is one of my coping mechanisms! We truly feel that Dr. Shaw considers us part of the treatment team, and Jason is given the freedom to make the decisions he feels are best.

He's chosen to stay on his current course of treatment, which involves a single chemo drug and an immunotherapy drug, every two weeks. He's dealing with almost no side effects from this regimen, and it's been effective, so it makes sense for him to stay on it.

One gift cancer has given Jason and me is this: our priorities have changed. We're actively planning a lot of travel, because we realize how unpredictable and precious life is. We want to enjoy each other and our kids!

We appreciate your continued encouragement, kind thoughts, and prayers! This is a long journey with a lot of ups and downs, but we're grateful that right now, things are going really well.

-Beth and Jason

You're always welcome to look at past emails here. Just be aware this site includes my author and narrator newsletters as well as my emails about Jason; I can't split them up!