Great news! My 60 year old husband had a conversation with the nurse and confirmed that the most recent MRI (taken Feb 23, 2018 for his five year anniversary of the Proton radiation treatment), actually showed shrinkage of the 1.5 cm tumor in the range of 1/3 to 1/2. In July- Aug of 2013 he had Proton Beam Treatment which, for him , involved 28 treatments in somewhat uncomfortable customized devices that kept him immobile. He had no pain before the proton therapy , during , or afterward. He continued to work each day (full time), using a virtual office we created at the library for cancer patients and even participated in teleconferences with hundreds of colleagues. Treatments each day took an hour and a half- most of which was preparation. He had no balance issues. He had no numbness or paralysis. We did incur expenses- the expense of relocating to that area for 6 weeks. If anyone needs any info we have many detailed notes. Specifics: Deaf in one ear. Wears a special hearing aid. Gets occasional tinnitus. Is sensitive to loud noises with other ear and wears earplugs in loud environments. Previous 1.5 cm tumor is now .5cm (AP) x .8 cm (TV) x .8 cm (CC). Dr. Loeffler Massachusetts General Hospital (The MGH Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center uses proton beam therapy to irradiate cancer and benign tumors. Proton beam therapy can be precisely aimed at a tumor with minimal dose to the surrounding healthy tissues.) Good luck to all of you!
