Sheryl Deloria
Combined Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery Treats Brain Metastases
In 1990, at the age of 35, Sheryl was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. She went through a year and a half in treatment, including two lumpectomies, chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant. Her cancer went into remission, but then in 2006, she felt swelling in her arms—a condition called lymphadema. Her doctors discovered more cancer in her lymph nodes and she started another round of chemo. Fortunately, the treatment was successful, and Sheryl went into remission once again. In the fall of 2008, she came in for a regular check up with her oncologist, and told him "I feel like I'm drunk all the time but I'm not drinking!" An MRI scan revealed ten metastases in her brain. Not wasting any time, she met with her new radiation oncologist to discuss treatment options that same day.
Sheryl's doctors were upfront with her about the seriousness of her condition. "But I let them know I wasn't going to have any of that. We were going to fight this. I had been told so many times that I was terminal. I knew I had to stay positive and fight it." Her medical oncologist put her on an oral chemotherapy and Sheryl's radiation oncologist recommended a two-week course of full head radiation to see how the tumors responded.
In the beginning of radiotherapy, Sheryl felt a little claustrophobic when she wore the face-mask typically used to immobilize the head for treatment. "So I would just close my eyes, and meditate or pray, or do something to just totally take my mind off of it."
When she was finished with radiation therapy, she and her radiation oncologist met to discuss the next step. While looking at a scan together, Sheryl's doctor pointed to which tumors they wanted to target with stereotactic radiosurgery. Radiosurgery—a highly accurate, intensified radiotherapy technique—is a procedure that was first pioneered for the treatment of brain tumors. After her radiosurgery treatment, Sheryl's team discovered that six of the tumors had disappeared entirely. She still has 4 masses left, all relatively small and static. Her doctors told her that they may not even be tumors, but simply scar tissue from the radiation.
Sheryl follows up with her medical and radiation oncologist every 6-8 months. After her last brain MRI, her doctor felt confident that her condition is stable.
Sheryl was nervous about the possibility that she might lose some of her cognitive abilities as a result of the full-head radiation. Though she does have some difficulty remembering words or names sometimes, she still feels like herself. "I feel very lucky I was able to have stereotactic surgery, because I don't think I would have survived without it. I think I'm living proof that all of the new technology and medicine can work. You just have to keep fighting the good fight."
Varian would like to thank Ajay Bhatnagar, M.D. and Cancer Treatment Services International (CTSI) for their invaluable assistance in the preparation of this story.
Radiation therapy may not be appropriate for all types of brain tumors. Serious side effects can occur and include faigue, hair loss while you receive radiation, scalp irritation, muffled hearing, and short term memory loss. Talk to your doctor about whether radiosurgery is appropriate for your treatment.
I feel very lucky I was able to have stereotactic surgery, because I don't think I would have survived without it. I think I'm living proof that all of the new technology and medicine can work. You just have to keep fighting the good fight.
