Caroline has a couple appointments over the next few weeks and will start Cycle 2 the week of August 19th. Please continue to pray that this treatment is working and that her side effects become more manageable.
![#carolinestrong](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fg8UKeXqKm0/W4R3Ma0BzSI/AAAAAAAABe0/22Gvqqw3aNUdFhDrYsNzhcM3l4njYa0oACK4BGAYYCw/s830/CarolineStrong_WORD%2BLOGO.jpg)
November 2017: diagnosed with Stage IV, High-Risk Neuroblastoma; Nov 2017-April 2019: completed standard treatment protocol / no evidence of disease; April 2019-April 2021: enrolled in/completed DFMO clinical trial; April 2022: RELAPSE; April 2022-June 2023: completed relapse treatment protocol / no evidence of disease (again); June 2023-June 2024: enrolled in “compassionate use” high-dose DFMO clinical trial; June 2024: RELAPSE #2
Friday, July 26, 2024
Cycle 1 = Complete!
Caroline has a couple appointments over the next few weeks and will start Cycle 2 the week of August 19th. Please continue to pray that this treatment is working and that her side effects become more manageable.
Monday, July 22, 2024
Infusion 1 Complete!
Caroline will now get a day to rest/recover at home before her next scheduled infusion on Wednesday.
Friday, July 19, 2024
Port Placement, Bone Marrow Biopsy, CT Scan / Ways to Help
Today was a very long, full day at the hospital for Caroline.
CT Scan Results: showed slight growth in the tumor size from her last scan 3.5 weeks ago; no other disease was identified on today's scan.
Bone Marrow Biopsy: her team is confident they got a good sample for testing; we expect results back early next week.
Port Placement: Caroline had a double-lumen power port surgically placed under her skin, on the upper right side of her body, which will be used for all upcoming treatments and blood work.
The plan is to rest and recover at home this weekend and then begin the new antibody/immunotherapy treatment Monday morning.
We've so grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and requests for ways to support our family as we walk this path again...we also really appreciate your patience as we worked through Caroline's treatment options. Now that we have a plan, we've been able to create a list of things that will be the most helpful to our family as we move forward.- Walmart (groceries & gas)
- Publix (prescriptions & groceries)
- Visa
- Amazon
Thank you for the amazing support and continued prayers,
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Treatment Start Date
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
MIBG Scan / Update(ish)
~ the spot that appeared on Caroline's CT and PET scans last week also show up in her MIBG scan today, which confirms Neuroblastoma; all 3 of the scans picked up the single spot, which is also the same location as her 2022 relapse.
~ the Bone Marrow Biopsy sample from last week was inconclusive in determining if she has disease in her marrow, so Vanderbilt will repeat that test on 7/19. Her bone marrow is really "beat" up after so many years of treatment, so not only is it hard to get a really good sample, it's also very painful for a few days following the procedure.
~ We've spent countless hours researching and consulting with multiple other hospitals and specialists across the country regarding potential treatments, clinical trials, etc. We are in the process of getting a formal second opinion from Memorial Sloane Kettering in NYC and hope to hear their feedback sometime next week after they present Caroline's case to their internal Tumor Board.
~ Caroline's case was presented to Vanderbilt's Tumor Board this afternoon and we are in continuous conversations to discuss their proposed treatment options.
Nothing about this process is quick, comforting or easy to digest...we've officially added "overwhelmed" to our shock and devastation. We are hoping to have a plan in place by the end of next week and will post the update/plan on the blog as soon as we've decided. In the meantime, thank you for all the prayers and offers of support.
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Quarterly Scans - Relapse #2
Next steps:
Monday, March 25, 2024
March Scan Results / Podcast
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Scan Results / DFMO Approval
- December 19th: Labs, CT Scan, PET Scan, Clinic visit and and a blood transfusion @ Vanderbilt
- December 20th: we received news that the PET scan was clear, but the CT scan showed a spot of concern on the bone in Caroline’s pelvic area. After discussing with Caroline's medical team and a surgeon, we decided to move forward with a biopsy to rule out another relapse. As an extra precaution, they also decided to do a bi-lateral bone marrow biopsy while Caroline was already sedated.
- December 22nd: Traveled to Levine Children's in Charlotte, NC for a Clinic visit and DFMO refill
- December 28th: Caroline was sedated for a bi-lateral bone marrow biopsy in her lower back and a CT-guided biopsy of the concerning spot on her right pelvic bone
- January 3rd: After delayed test results due to the holiday, we received news that BOTH BIOPSIES ARE CLEAR of any cancer.
After almost 3 weeks incomprehensible anxiety and fear, we are able to exhale a little and try and reset as we move into the new year. We're so thankful for Dr. Smith and the entire medical team for acting so quickly to get us clarity!
On another note, we are thrilled to celebrate that after a decade, the FDA approved DFMO (now called "iwilfin") for maintenance treatment of Neuroblastoma. Soon, the drug will be available for all doctors to prescribe anywhere in the United States. Special thanks to Dr. Sholler, Pat Lacey and the entire BEATCC team for working with US WorldMeds and the FDA to get this done! The approval of DFMO is the first pediatric cancer drug ever to approved without a double blind placebo study. Click here to read all about the precedent-setting approval...simply amazing!
Wishing you all peace and health in 2024,
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
Friday, November 24, 2023
6 Year Cancer-versary
On this exact day - Black Friday, November 24, 2017, Caroline was diagnosed with Stage IV, High-Risk Neuroblastoma. 6 years later, November 24, 2023, another Black Friday, we took a drive down to the hospital for the annual "Snowman picture."
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Updates: Scans, Charlotte/Clinical Trial, Hearing Loss and "Regular" Life
Starting with the best news, her most recent scans last week continued to show NO evidence of disease!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSW9Cps8hBJ_CRc0Y5tnmr8NgP_-oCj5LMZMpeUj5mk0jhOa1p0CSVNfUamjUw9tyWGsR5G4UtDMDbJ65ZgIp9Esu2ZbpL9hd3ctP6j45GSOkCmgTw17kP2ZYd_L_KUmUT1HAHESee8P9QViweiDC1WvI1n3xiUx0r09CKc1JT8jQ4mUaVQhyphenhyphenXE91-wh7/s320/IMG_1157.jpeg)
Friday, June 30, 2023
DFMO Clinical Trial
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
A Message from Caroline: Scan Results!
Saturday, June 17, 2023
SEVENTEEN Cycles: Complete!
HOME from the last cycle. CYCLE SEVENTEEN. In 14+ months, Caroline has been inpatient for 106 nights at Vanderbilt, while getting:
- 85 doses of Irinotecan Chemotherapy
- 85 doses of Temodar Chemotherapy
- 68 doses of Dinutuximab Immunotherapy
- 119 Leukine Shots to boost her immune system
- countless scans, tests, biopsies, x-rays, labs, etc.
She missed 74 days of school, but still averaged STRAIGHT As for the entire year! The 3rd Grade superlative selected for her was "Future President," which seems very fitting!
Monday, June 12, 2023
Cycle 17: "Sad, Excited, Scared..."
Last night, we asked Caroline how she was feeling about the end of treatment. Her exact words were: “sad, excited and scared…sad because I won’t get to see all of my inpatient nurses, excited for treatment to be over, and scared that my cancer will come back.” We told her that we feel the exact same way.
We’re praying for an uneventful week going forward, and hope to be discharged on Saturday. We'll update the blog when we're home and have "next steps."
Thank you for the continued love and support,
The Lantz Family
Monday, May 29, 2023
Home Sweet Home from Cycle 16
We are so grateful for the amazing care team at Vanderbilt - they did a great job this week addressing all of Caroline’s struggles with chemo side effects; her nausea was particularly rough this stay.
Also, much appreciation, honor and respect for the American men and women who have served and given all for this great country; we know that Freedom isn't free...thank you for your service.
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Cycle 16
She tested positive for rhino/enterovirus (aka the common cold), so we'll be on isolation while she's here. We're hoping she doesn’t have any additional issues with oxygen, etc. with all the sinus drainage.
If all goes well, we are hoping Caroline can come home Saturday.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support!
The Lantz Family
Thursday, May 11, 2023
Treatment Schedule Update / Next Steps
In other news, we had a call this week with our Vanderbilt Oncology team and the Oncology team from Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC, to discuss post-treatment “next steps.” Assuming all goes well with Cycles 16 and 17, her bone marrow is clear, and her scans remain clear after treatment, we will be enrolling Caroline in a high-dose DFMO clinical trial at Levine Children’s Hospital. This drug (DFMO) is one of the only available maintenance treatments for Neuroblastoma in the world. We are grateful that Caroline will be able to take something to hopefully/potentially prevent another relapse. We will keep you posted as we get closer, but we are very appreciative of Dr. Smith’s and Dr. Sholler’s teams working together - not only help minimize travel, but most importantly, give Caroline access to the best possible chance of surviving this awful disease. More to come…
Thank you for all the prayers and continued support (especially the Ubereats cards for the hospital)!
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Cycle 15
Thank you for the continued support and prayers!
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Progress Scans Results
CT scan: No new findings to suggest recurrent or metastatic disease.
PET Scan: No definitive evidence of malignancy.
We are obviously thrilled that Caroline is continuing to beat this disease (again), and it's giving us some renewed energy and hope as we continue onward with this long and exhausting treatment plan.
Assuming nothing unexpected happens and her counts are ok, Caroline's next admission is scheduled for May 1st...Cycle 15 (of 17) of chemotherapy and antibody.
As always, thank you so much to our Vanderbilt medical team, family, friends, and the entire community of prayer warriors - we're beyond grateful for the continued love and support!
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
Saturday, April 8, 2023
Relapse-iversary / Cycle 14 Complete
Today also marks the one year anniversary of Caroline's relapse, so we thought we'd share a review of the last 365 days in numbers...
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Cycle 14 / Life Lately
Thank you for your continued support,
The Lantz Family
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Cycle 13 Complete / Clip in 4 the Cure
Caroline was discharged from Vanderbilt on Saturday and is now home resting. Other than the "normal" nausea and belly pain, the week was relatively uneventful. She will get daily Leukine shots for the next week to help bring up her neutrophils (immune system). We're hoping she recovers well at home, and is able to enjoy the next two weeks of "track out break" from school.
This coming Saturday (3/25), Caroline will be speaking as an ambassador for the hospital at the "Clip !n 4 the Cure" event, which raises funds for cancer research to find cures. If you’d like to support the event by participating or donating to the cause, click here for the link.Thank you for the continued prayers - they mean so much.
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
#ftgf