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Christina Armedariz, patient: Your outlook changes a lot when you face something like this.
James W. Jakub, M.D., Surgical Oncologist, Mayo Clinic in Florida: Christina had Stage 4 disease, which we typically don't think of as managed with surgery. She had, unfortunately, some pretty significant side effects from her immunotherapy that were working well in the tumor, but also caused some problems for her that the treatment had to be stopped. She had some pretty advanced lymph node disease that I think, understandably, a lot of surgeons in other communities were not comfortable managing.
Christina Armedariz: I was searching for answers. I knew that I was not getting the treatment that I needed due to my complex medical situation. I was devastated because I had come so far, I had experienced so much. I just felt like there was more out there for me.
Roxana S. Dronca, M.D., Divisional Chair, Hematology/Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic in Florida: When I first met Christina, what I thought was unique about her case, was that I met her at a very trying moment in her life. She was at the time experiencing significant complications from her cancer immunotherapy. She had a very rare neurological complication with inflammation of her brain called meningoencephalitis. She had significant neurological symptoms, had significant neurological impairment and was basically unable to carry on with her life. She was unable to take care of her daughter.
Sebastian Lopez, M.D., Consultant, Neurology, Mayo Clinic in Florida: After initial investigations based on the spinal fluid testing, based on results of MRI studies, we were able to determine the exact cause of the brain inflammation. It was important to see her quickly, so we can determine what type of treatment is best. The collaborative approach from surgery, oncology and neuro-immunology is very important to determine the next steps.
Christina Armedariz: I mean, as a mom, I was terrified, I had Stage 4 cancer and I didn't know if I was going to survive that and I wanted to be there for my daughter, more than anything.
Dr. Dronca: Patients with really complex clinical courses, with complex cancers, with rare diseases, really need a team of experts. I believe if we were not to intervene right away, she could've taken a turn for the worse very quickly. We all came together to figure out a very quick and a very bold way to help Christina.
Christina Armedariz: Dr. Lopez, Dr. Jakub and Dr. Dronca reviewed my case and immediately came up with a strategy. Dr. Dronca's proposal was, "I think that this tumor can be surgically removed." And this was something I had never heard before.
Dr. Jakub: It was a large tumor, so we were able to completely remove that. Also, we did a procedure called a lymphovenous bypass. We identified the lymphatics draining from the arm. We were able to sew those back to the vein's draining from the arm to try to minimize the risk of arm swelling or lymphedema.
Christina Armedariz: It was leading up to Christmas. I had my surgery. It gave me the opportunity to be officially in remission of Stage 4 melanoma. Unbelievable. It's unbelievable.
Dr. Lopez: A big advantage that we have at Mayo Clinic is that we have one of the few autoimmune neurology sub-specialty clinics in the nation. Additionally, we have the advantage of working closely with other experts in the field and closely working with our oncology colleagues, with our surgery colleagues, and that allows us to really provide that comprehensive multidisciplinary care that patients benefit so much from.
Dr. Dronca: There are so many patients with rare cancers that do not have any standard treatment options available. So what we are trying to do is continue to innovate and continue to develop these new treatments.
Christina Armedariz: For somebody who is going to be battling cancer for the rest of their lives, you want options and choices and you want the availability and the resources to be close to you and to be available to you. And it's exciting to know that Mayo is building this new cancer center because it gives me hope that there is new treatments and new opportunities on the horizon, and that could mean years on my life. That is what that means to me. That means I can see a long-term future where I know that Mayo has a plan or a strategy on the horizons that can treat my cancer. It's amazing.
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