I just returned from my latest visit with my oncologist. He told me that the spot on my lung did, indeed, test positive for melanoma. However, my doctor did go on to say,”Since the surgery was successful and the portion we removed had clean edges, it is quite possible that you are disease free right now. However, we will have to watch it very closely in the coming months.”

He also added,”The tumor board met to discuss your case yesterday and we discussed it at length. We reviewed all aspects of your case. Under the circumstances, we feel it is best to hold off on the interferon treatments, until such time that there is clear evidence that the melanoma has regrouped.”

I almost fell out of my chair when I heard that!

The idea of getting off of interferon, before the eleven month deadline, has caused some concern for friends and family who want to make sure that EVERYTHING that can be done is being done. But my doctor explained it to me this way. “The fact is that since December, almost half a billion units of interferon have been put in your body. And whatever benefits interferon was going to deliver to you, they likely have already delivered. But we must also understand that this spot on your lung developed WHILE you were taking the interferon treatments, and it could very well be that interferon was not a good solution in your particular case for holding the melanoma back. So with that in mind, the tumor board has suggested that we simply wait and closely monitor your situation. And if the melanoma does return at some point, there are alternative drug therapies and trials that we can explore.”

So now you know everything I know. My next PET scan is scheduled for late June. If that comes back clean it will be time to PAR-TAY! In the mean time, I’m going to have a few preliminary celebrations this week.

Just the idea that the serious suckage known as interferon is out of the picture for me now, is reason enough to dance dance dance.

EDIT-slightly expanded first paragraph with additional details.