Just a brief update here – and brevity always suggests good news when one is tracking and reporting on any Stage Four cancer.

Last week, I took an 18-month follow-up full-body radioactive Axumin scan. (At this point, after scores of radiation treatments, scans, X-rays and such, I never again will need a night light.)

Anyway, where was I?

Oh, the Axumin scan. Though the tell-tale PSA blood test continues to suggest good results from the chemo, the Axumin scan is a standard-of-care thing to make certain that nothing bad is happening despite encouraging PSA indicators. Basically, they inject the patient with a radioactive tracer that tends to gather in prostate-cancer cells and then scan the body looking for cancerous lesions.

Eighteen months ago, I lit it up big-time, requiring immediate, powerful and continuing therapies.

This time, we have better news. In the words of the radiologist: “Overall, substantial positive response to therapy. Specifically, the [malignant] lymph nodes in the neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis…are now very small in size and without increased uptake of the radiotracer.”

Translation: The stuff that lit up so many lymph nodes 18 months ago, confirming widespread metastasis of the cancer at that point, now barely lights up anything. There is some indication of slight malignant activity in the bones, according to the report, but nothing to worry about at this point.

So, the oncologist says, “Let’s keep doing what we’re doing.” And that is the official plan.

The side effects are getting suckier and I’m a little beyond the mean of when these meds begin to lose efficacy and will need to be replaced with stronger forms of poison, but so far, we’re beating the averages, and that’s good.

We hope that my fellow prostate-cancer patients – and everyone who is reading this – are doing well and are looking forward to a safe, pleasant and reasonably healthy holiday season.

Onward!

P.S. Guys, make sure to get your PSA blood test at least once a year, more often if you can manage it. Gals, make sure that your guys get that test. It’s virtually always fully covered by medical insurance.