The new cancer that they found when Drew had surgery last August is Rhabdomyosarcoma. According to Ped-Onc Resource Center, "Rhabdomyosarcoma is fast-growing, highly malignant tumor which accounts for over half of the soft tissue sarcomas in children."
There is often a bump somewhere on or in the body. Symptoms vary by location. The tumors come from a cell muscle called rhabdomyoblast. It is treated through chemo, surgery, and radiation. This information was all found http://www.acor.org/ped-onc/diseases/rhabdo.html.
Drew's cancer is located in a really tough area, the large bowel. The doctors are trying to shrink the tumor so they can operate and remove the tumor. If he were to have it removed now 80% of his bowel would be removed and he would be on a feeding tube. As of last Wednesday after the results of his CT scan they found that the tumor has grown.
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Becky,
I'm sorry to hear about the rhabdomyosarcoma, a disease with which I am all too familiar.
If you haven't found it already, I might suggest that you subscribe to the ACOR Rhabdo-Kids email discussion group. Everyone there is or has been in the same boat, and can offer a wealth of fast information.
Subscription details and searchable archives here.
There are several Michigan families active on the list, including Nancy Levin, mother to well-known rhabdo spokesperson Miles Levin.
Sincerely,
James Atkinson
Asheville, NC
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