As expected, chemotherapy did not happen today, even though it was on the schedule.

Because of the last-minute PET scan on Friday, I did not go in for bloodwork and did not expect to receive the scan results by this morning. Given that, I assumed chemo would be postponed. I called my oncologist to confirm, and today’s treatment was officially cancelled, saving me an unnecessary drive to Lisbon.

My oncologist does not want to make any treatment decisions until the PET scan results are back. We are hoping those results arrive today so we can proceed with a chemotherapy appointment on Wednesday, two days from now.

There was also additional news.

I recently paid €3,600 for an expanded pathology analysis of the tumor that was removed from my colon in July 2024. One thing that still amazes me is that tumors are preserved after surgery specifically so they can be reanalyzed later if needed.

My surgery was performed at the private hospital CUF, where I also began chemotherapy. After receiving recommendations, I transferred my care to Champalimaud. As part of that transition, we requested that my preserved tumor be transferred from CUF to Champalimaud.

Champalimaud submitted the tumor to FoundationOne, a genomic profiling test that analyzes hundreds of cancer-related genes to look for mutations that could open the door to targeted therapies or clinical trials beyond standard chemotherapy. My oncologist warned me there was only a small chance of finding anything actionable, especially given the cost. Compared to U.S. healthcare pricing, it still felt like an obvious decision.

She did not go into details during our call today, but she did tell me they found an alteration in the tumor. There is a clinical trial in Porto targeting this specific alteration. She has already contacted the trial team and is working to determine whether I meet the eligibility criteria.

I believe this is positive news, though I'm waiting for more details. We'll discuss everything in depth when I meet with my oncologist in person on Wednesday.

More updates to come.