Medical Info

Jay was diagnosed in August 2013 with stage IIIC testicular cancer with poor risk stratification.   The cancer seems to have originated in his left testicle where a “burnt out” (and now unproductive) tumor was discovered via ultrasound.     Jay began treatment on 8/20/13 with tumors that had metastasized to his lungs (a bunch of small tumors and one golf-ball sized tumor on his pericardium – through the blood) and to his abdomen (a softball-sized tumor in his left retroperitoneal area – through the lymphatic system).

• Jay is in the excellent hands of Dr. Darren Feldman at Memorial Sloan Kettering
• initial HCG (a key tumor marker) was at ~230,000  (this usually only shows in pregnant women which is why Jay was able to test positive on a home pregnancy test :)
• the cancer cell type is called “non-seminoma” and the particular subtype is most likely “choriocarcinoma”
• MRI confirmed no metastes to the brain on 8/19/13,  11/18/13 and again on 1/9/14
• Initial treatment course was 4 cycles of BEP (5 days chemo, 2 weeks off) which began on 8/20/13
• CT scan showed reduction of ~50% in tumor masses between 8/16/13 and 11/7/13 and ~25% reduction between 11/7/13 and 1/9/14
• RPLND and orchiectomy on 1/24/14 – pathology was negative (all nodes benign or necrotic)
• Left lung thoracotomy with 24 wedge resections performed 3/19/14 – pathology was negative on all masses
• Right lung thoracotomy with 17 wedge resections performed 8/4/14 – pathology was negative on all masses