Bob L.

Esophageal Cancer, 2-year survivor

It was a chunk of pineapple that convinced New Hampshire physician, Bob L., that he had esophageal cancer, a rare disease that affects about 13,500 Americans each year.

Bob: “It was the fall of 2004. I’d had occasional difficulties swallowing food, but didn’t give it much thought. But that day in November, when I literally couldn’t swallow a piece of pineapple, I knew something was definitely wrong.”

As a physician, Bob understood that the most common symptom of cancer of the esophagus was difficult or painful swallowing. He also knew that by the time this symptom occurs, the disease is often fairly advanced. His self-diagnosis was, unfortunately, correct.

Bob: “After conferring with medical colleagues throughout the Northeast, who repeatedly recommended the Mass General Cancer Center as the best possible place for esophageal cancer treatment, I decided to undergo my treatment there. They offered me not only excellence in care, but also love, compassion, and hope.”

In February 2005, Bob, then 53, underwent an esophagogastrectomy performed by Mass General’s Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Douglas J. Mathisen, MD. The operation went very smoothly and, after a 10-day stay in the hospital, he was able to return home.

Shortly thereafter, Bob — like most Cancer Center patients with advanced esophageal cancer — underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the purpose of which is to destroy any remaining cancer cells in the body. His medical oncologist was Thomas J. Lynch, MD, director of the Cancer Center’s Center for Thoracic Cancers, and his radiation oncologist was Noah C. Choi, MD, director of thoracic radiation oncology.

Bob: “Although it meant my wife and I often had to stay in a hotel during those weeks of treatment, I opted to undergo this therapy at the Cancer Center. After all, they had become my new family, my new home, where I knew I’d find excellence in all types of treatment: surgical, medical, and radiation.”

“In addition, my wife and I took full advantage of many of the Cancer Center’s patient-support services, including HOPES Program courses on topics such as chemotherapy and managing fatigue, dietitian consultations, and individualized counseling about how to cope with issues relating to my disease and treatment. Patients need to remember that they are an important member of the care team, and should avail themselves of all the valuable resources the Cancer Center has to offer to get through their treatment.”

Today, as far as his doctors can discern from regular CT scans, Bob has no evidence of cancer. With his treatment well behind him, he now feels great. He can exercise, eat a normal diet, and most importantly to him and his wife, resume his adventuresome lifestyle, which includes long-distance canoeing. In fact, in May of this year, they set off in their new, 26-foot powerboat on a yearlong journey of the Great Circle Loop, the continuous waterway that circumnavigates the eastern section of North America. They have reached Columbus, Mississippi on the Tenn-tom Waterway via LI Sound, the Hudson River, Erie and Oswego Canals, Trend-Severn Waterway connecting Lakes Ontario and Huron, Lake Michigan, the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, and Cumberland Tennessee Rivers. They will proceed to the Gulf and Florida this winter.

Bob: “The care I received from each and every person at the Cancer Center and the entire hospital was truly extraordinary. Thanks to them and my wife, I’ve been able to recover despite the odds and get on with my life.”