Hi, All - Just a quick update on my Sutent clinical trial for thyroid cancer.

I flew down to St. Louis on November 11 and got the results of latest CT scan.  The news was good - no new tumors and no growth in the existing cancer - Yea!  The cancer is  considered stable and I've been approved for 2 more cycles of the drug.

The side effects have been the usual:  Hand-Foot Syndrome remains the most troublesome for me, along with anemia, fatigue, and elevated blood pressure.  These have been worse the last couple cycles.  I did get go off the drug a few days early this most recent cycle and really feel better for having done so.  My hope is that the side effect won't be as noticeable this new drug cycle since I'll be starting it at a higher level (physically and mentally).  Oddly enough, I've had less pain from the tumors these last couple cycles even though the side effects have been more pronounced.  It seems like a fair trade-off.

I got to go off Sutent early so we could have an early Christmas present and enjoy a few days in Florida.   We were on Sanibel Island off the west coast and had a great time.   While it was rainy and cold in Lincoln, it was sunny and hot (temps in the mid-90s) all the time we were there.  We sat on the beach and played in the Gulf and ate lots of seafood - it was wonderful!

I'll go down to St. Louis to get the results of my next scan on February 3, 2010.  (Boy, it feels odd to write that.)

Thanks for all your continuing prayers and support.  Thanks also, Rosemary and Pam, for lunch and for chauffeuring me around St. Louis last week!

John