Stage IV

After checking into the hospital at 2am on Tuesday, Jan. 13th,
I returned home Monday, Jan. 19th and my mom took this picture.

The end of the work week arrived, but the work was really just beginning.  I was diagnosed with stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma originating in my prostate with metastases to both lungs.  Friday consisted of two more tests, an abdominal cat scan and a bone scan.  The next step was to determine the course of treatment and to inform me of what all the tests had revealed.


It was my mom who did the majority of the speaking.  She explained what had been found during the week and that I had cancer.  Up to this point, the medical terminology had really been like hearing a foreign language.  It wasn't until I was told "you have cancer" that I began to understand the severity.  Everyone knows cancer is bad and people die from cancer.

This had been a pretty tough emotional week and now it only seemed more scary not knowing what was next.  Watching your family cry and hug each other all day and have the priest come by every hour, painted a bleak picture.

My treatment protocol came out of UCLA Medical School.  It was 1981 and there were different thoughts and theories on the best course of treatment for childhood cancer.  Each protocol called for a specific combination of chemotherapy drugs.  I was put in a treatment group and for two years would receive Vincristin, Cytoxan, and Dactinomycin.  The treatment was to start as soon as possible and did the next morning.  I was given a 22% chance for survival.

Jan. 16 Abdominal cat scan. Bone scan.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a malignant (cancerous) soft tissue tumor found most often in children. The most common sites are the structures of the head and neck, the urogenital tract, and the arms or legs.

The cause of rhabdomyosarcoma is unknown. It is a rare tumor with only several hundred new cases per year throughout the United States. Some children with certain birth defects are at increased risk, and some families have a gene mutation that elevates risk. However, the vast majority of children with rhabdomyosarcoma do not have any known risk factors.

Diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma is often delayed because of lack of symptoms, and because the tumor may appear at the same time as a recent injury. Early diagnosis is important because rhabdomyosarcoma is an aggressive tumor that spreads quickly.

Vincristine is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug.  

Cancers treated with Vincristine include: acute leukemia, Hodgkin's and non- Hodgkin's lymphoma, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, Wilms' tumor, multiple myeloma, chronic leukemias, thyroid cancer, brain tumors.

Cytoxan, the trade name for the generic drug cyclophosphamide, is a chemotherapy drug used to kill cancer cells.  Many chemotherapy drugs, including Cytoxan, cause low blood cell counts, which means the amount of white and red blood cells is significantly lowered. When white and red blood cell counts are low, you are more susceptible to infection and anemia. This medication also causes temporary hair loss, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, impaired fertility, mouth and lip sores, diarrhea, and changes in your skin and nails.

Dactinomycin is used to treat Wilms and Ewings tumors, testicular cancer, sarcomas (cancers that grow from cartilage, fat, muscle, or bone), and other types of cancer.  Dactinomycin is given as an injection in a vein over about 15 minutes.