Cutting Edge Research

Emily is out of surgery. The doctor was a bit surprised by what she found during the procedure. The affected lymph nodes had all matted together and were much deeper into the tissue than they were expecting. However, the tissue around the nodes looked pristine and she was able to preserve all of the nerves in the area so Emily should regain full use of her right arm. She does have a 40% chance of developing lymphadema, which causes swelling and pain in the arm, and the recovery from this surgery might be rough because they had to go so deep to remove the tissue.

Speaking of tissue, apparently they did not have enough of a tissue sample to send to the drug resistance lab after the biopsy so her surgeon made sure to prepare a proper sample this time around. The technology around these tests is brand new and cutting edge. It wasn't even available last year when Em started this whole process. The doctors on the Tumor Board are split down the middle on whether Em should have chemo, radiation or both, but they are going to do the drug sensitivity testing anyway, just in case. The doctor in Boston is an Oncologist who specializes in hard to treat cancers and we have not yet heard her opinion. Fortunately, now that Em has had surgery, nothing else can be done for at least four weeks while she recovers.

We wish you a speedy recovery Em!