Hello,

Jackson had another MRI yesterday and the results are that the spots are stable. They have not worsened since the previous MRI in April. This is more information leading the docs to believe that this is radiation injury. So the plan is to scan again in 6 weeks this time and to possibly put Jackson on Acutane. Apparently Acutane has some anti cancer properties that they have been studying here. The study is specific to anaplastic medulloblastoma, which is what Jackson has. He didn't qualify for the study previously because of the lag between diagnosis and complete tumor resection. Thank you Dr. Magram!! (sarcasm) Jackson's oncologist is not for sure that she wants to put him on Acutane, but she is considering it due to the spots and not being able to for sure say 100% radiation injury. Of course we think this may be good for Jackson and it does make us feel good because we are still doing something o prevent the cancer from coming back. There are some side effects, but the benefit seems to outweigh the risks.

Jackson had another pre-chemo hearing test today. His hearing is stable with only loss to the high frequency ranges. This is good because he has no loss that will effect his everyday life. That also means that they don't have to reduce the dose of Cisplatin, which is his chemo. They do have to reduce his dose of Cytoxin, another chemo, due to his low blood counts. They do pre-chemo blood work and in the past 5 cycles, his numbers were ideal for starting chemo. This month, his red blood was low and his white counts are low. He is almost neutropenic, which means his ability to fight infection is low. This is why they are reducing the dose. His body is taking such a hit from all of the treatments that it is not bouncing back like it should. This worried me at first, because of course I want him to get his full doses to keep the cancer away, but his NP explained to me that this would put him at much more risk for infection following chemo. It may take even longer for his body to recover from the last cycle, putting him at even more risk. So, in his case, the risks outweigh the benefits. The dose reduction is only 25% so he will receive 75% of his normal dose.

We are so happy that this is his last chemo, but if he starts Acutane, we will still have to come up once a month for labs to check liver function and to meet with the doc. I think I might actually have to make the 4 hour trip monthly forever!!!! JK, but seriously? Just when I thought we were only going to have to make the trip every 3 months! Anyways, thanks for following Jackson's progress. We are so thankful for all the support!!!

Jenise