test results

A call this morning from Jenny, Bronwyn's mother, communicated the news. She rang just after 7am our time, but missed Bronwyn who had left for work only minutes before. The Doctors have reported back on the results of the biopsy that Bronwyn's father David had last Tuesday. We are sad to report that the biopsy of David's femur (the thigh bone) and bone scan indicates he has a Primary Osteolymphoma.

Primary Osteolymphoma (also known as Primary Bone Lymphoma) is a particularly rare form of cancer; so rare that even the largest multi-year studies published from major specialist hospitals have included only 20–60 people. The major hospital in Sydney, Australia, sees on average two cases of this condition a year. A benefit of working in the NHS is electronic access to the literature: I've been reading a number of articles and abstracts on the condition from medical journals today. The good news is that, as the Doctors have told David and Jenny, the condition is treatable, and outcomes are positive. Chemotherapy (combined with prayer!) is the treatment of choice, with radiotherapy used as well in some cases. One web information source notes: "Lymphoma of bone has the best prognosis of all primary malignant bone tumors."

David and Jenny, our thoughts and prayers, along with those of many others, are with you tonight.