Relapse

Jordan had her first set of follow-up scans this week. We were very disappointed to learn Jordan has relapsed. The MIBG and MRI scans show two spots on her skull. It appears they are the same spots she had on her skull at diagnosis. This could be good, indicating the cancer has not spread to new areas. We will not get the results of the bone marrow biopsy until later this week; we are praying that the bone marrow is clear.

Our plan is to start high-dose chemotherapy tomorrow at Morristown. Jordan will be an inpatient for four days to get the three medications for this regimen. We will do two courses of this regimen followed by three to five courses of a lower dose regimen. Fortunately, the lower-dose chemotherapy will be done on an outpatient basis. Jordan will also have a course of radiation to her skull at MSKCC, likely between the first and second rounds of chemotherapy. Dr. Kushner advised MSKCC has a lot of experience radiating the skull without negatively impacting the brain.

The relapse rate with neuroblastoma is so high that we can't say we are completely surprised Jordan relapsed, we just did not expect it to be so soon. We are heartbroken that our sweet baby is re-entering the world of active treatment. Dr. Kushner seems very optimistic that we will be able to get Jordan back to remission quickly. He also said Jordan looks great and her counts are good, both positive signs. We are praying that in five years we look back and can say that as far as relapses go, Jordan's wasn't too bad.