>> [Background Music] You're watching Skin and Bone Cancer, a matter of facts, on ABC
27, brought to you by Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
>> Welcome back.
Cancer can strike at any age.
A Dolphin County family learned that real fast.
14-year old Bryce Carter started kicking a soccer ball, thanks to his dad.
>> My dad inspired me to play.
I just looked up to him, and looked up to my dad because he played soccer.
>> Bryce's dad Ian did play soccer.
He was a professional player.
>> I used to take him to my games and hang out in the locker room and practice.
So he was around a lot of very good players, so he just picked it up naturally.
>> He was pretty good.
I think a lot of that had to do with Dad -- Ian helping him.
>> I thought he was going to be a very good player.
At his point in time he was a better player than I was, at 12 years old.
>> Bryce was on a roll until 2 and a half years ago.
>> Once we started indoor soccer, I just couldn't shoot the ball, and my leg just started hurting.
It was like a very like uneasy feeling, and it was very sharp in your thigh.
It just got worse and worse.
>> On that Sunday, January 30th, he couldn't stand.
He just -- he couldn't walk.
>> I started crying to my mom, and my mom just rushed me to the emergency room.
>> I took him in, still just thinking, you know, a sports injury, muscle, something.
>> When I got to the emergency room, they took x-rays of my femur, and my femur wasn't
just not looking right.
>> What the x-ray shows here is that there is actually an area of bone missing where
there's been some bone loss or scalloping of the bone here by some sort of destructive
process.
And that's what prompted us to order an MRI subsequent to that to find out what exactly
was going on there.
>> The doctor came in and told my mom that something was just not right.
And my mom asked the doctor is it cancer possibly?
And the doctor was probably -- he said yeah.
>> It's like your whole world goes before you.
And having [inaudible] background, so I knew, you know, cancer is cancer, it doesn't matter
what type it is.
It's scary.
And just to see your child have to go through that is just unimaginable.
>> I was crying, and I thought my world was ending.
I thought I couldn't play sports again, or be active with my friends.
>> She called and said that they had found a mass in his leg.
And as soon as she said that, it's like roller coaster ride feeling, you know, that oozing
in your stomach.
>> So what Bryce actually had here was a periosteal osteosarcoma.
This is a tumor -- malignant tumor that arises from bone, and originates on the surface of
bone for his case, and actually will work its way into the marrow cavity over time.
I explained to Bryce's parents that this is an extremely rare bone tumor of childhood,
and that we needed to get working on this right away.
>> Chemotherapy was the first step, three months of it.
>> The reason why we did chemotherapy was to shrink the tumor to make the surgery easier,
but also to destroy any microscopic cells that may be floating around in his bloodstream,
as well as other locations.
>> All of Bryce's treatments were in-patient, and they would be anywhere from 3 to 7 days,
almost every week.
>> You're sitting there watching your healthy boy whittle away, so to speak.
He didn't eat, he lost an enormous amount of weight in the first 6 weeks' chemo, losing
his hair.
>> Bryce is really strong.
He took it so much better than I could have ever imagined.
He was a trooper, he really was.
He didn't want to be there, but he knew why he was there.
He just wanted to be a kid.
>> He had a good response to chemotherapy.
So the plan with Bryce's thigh tumor was to remove the tumor, which would leave him with
a defect, or missing bone in his thigh bone.
And the way that we were going to plan on reconstructing it to allow him the best long-term
solution was to use a piece of cadaver bone to replace that bone, but then also take a
portion of his own fibular bone, put it on there so that new bone would grow across that
cadaver bone, and then provide him with a long-term solution for activities.
>> Bryce was ready for surgery.
>> I just wanted to get the cancer out, and just chemotherapy.
>> I think the toughest part was when they got ready to wheel him back.
>> In the end it was difficult, very, very difficult for me to just sit around and wait
16 to 18 hours to -- for my son to come out of surgery.
>> We started off at 7:30 in the morning, and we got done at 3:30 in the morning, the
next day.
So, you know, that, you know, was expected.
Everything went as planned.
We took out the tumor, the frozen section margins were completely negative.
>> A great report.
But Bryce wasn't finished.
>> Now he had to go through several months of additional chemotherapy to make sure that
no residual tumor remained in the rest of his body -- microscopic tumor that you couldn't
necessarily see on a CATscan or bone scan.
>> I got used to it, and I just wanted to get it over with, and do like other things
other than going to the hospital every day.
I just wanted to be a normal kid.
>> Going to the hospital every day did end.
>> I had this sign on my door that it said last chemotherapy for Bryce Carter.
And I was like so happy that everything was done and over with.
>> I think he was really proud of himself.
I was, 'cause I couldn't have been as strong as he was.
>> Now Bryce needed time to heal, months spent using a wheelchair, a walker, then crutches.
Along the way, good news came.
>> It wasn't until this past August that we got the phone call from his oncologist saying,
you know, he's cancer-free.
>> Thank God that he is cancer-free.
We were ecstatic.
Every time we'd get the good news, it's tears of joy.
>> I was happy.
I felt like a normal kid again, without cancer.
>> The last bit of good news came a couple of months ago.
>> When we were looking at the x-rays, I told them I had good news for them, that, you know,
at this point in time I think there's enough healing that we can ditch the crutches, and
let him walk unaided.
>> It was weird at first, when I first took my first step.
It was like baby steps for me.
And then after I got the hang of it, I took even bigger steps.
>> It's like seeing your baby walk for the first time.
It was a long 2 years, you almost forget what it looked like to see him walk and run, and
-- without hearing the clicking of the crutches.
>> When my mom took the video, I was laughing and having fun.
Yes, mom.
I was happy and excited.
>> When I saw him walk freely, I mean what can you say?
It's like we ended up telling everybody.
>> A story about determination.
And Bryce is determined to play soccer again, he's hoping this fall.
Chuck?
>> My money's on Bryce.
I think he's going to do just that.
Thanks, Deborah.
Now joining us is Doctor Everett Fox.
You mentioned, doctor, we saw in there about how rare this cancer is that Bryce had.
Tell more about -- tell us more about that.
>> So osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer of childhood.
Bryce had a very rare variant called periosteal osteosarcoma, which occurs on the bone surface.
This tumor typically affects young adults between the ages of 10 and 20, and usually
the thigh bone or the shin bone around the knee area.
Most patients will complain of knee pain, or knee mass, or something of that nature.
>> Are some cancers more common than others [inaudible] cancers?
>> Well, osteosarcoma is much more common than ewing sarcoma, another rare type of primary
bone cancer of childhood.
But together, osteosarcoma and ewing sarcoma are much more rare than any type of non-bone
tumor in childhood.
>> Are there any warning signs that people can look for that might be a problem?
>> So classically patients will present with 3 to 4 months of pain that doesn't respond
to any type of pain medications, and that will usually prompt them to seek the attention
of a physician.
Subsequently the physician will order an x-ray or MRI to find the tumor, and then after that
a biopsy is ordered to actually confirm the diagnosis.
>> And finally, what's the prognosis?
We saw Bryce's mom obviously devastated to hear that news.
What's the prognosis for this type of cancer?
>> Well this type of tumor, if it hasn't spread to any other location, like the lung, and
the tumor has been completely removed by surgery, there's an up to 85% chance that that patient
is cured from the disease forever.
And typically one has to expect that you're going to have some physical limitations in
regards to the type of reconstruction that's done surgically.
>> Right, amazing what he's done there.
Thank you doctor, for joining us tonight.
>> No problem, thank you.
>> And we check back in now with Deborah Peckerton [phonetic] and the ABC 27 call center.
Deborah?
>> Thanks, Chuck.
The phone lines are busy.
Once again, you can call the number on your screen.
Now radiation oncologist Doctor Heath Mackley [phonetic] has been answering your e-mails,
now he's going to join us now to share a couple of these viewer questions with us.
Here's the first viewer question.
I've heard there are different types of skin cancer.
What type is more dangerous?
>> There are many types of skin cancers, however squamous cell cancer, basal cell cancer, and
melanomas are the most common.
Of these, melanoma is the most dangerous.
However, all types of skin cancer, if found early enough, are curable.
>> Okay, and here is our last viewer question.
How often should I have my skin checked if I have a lot of moles, skin tags, and areas
of dry skin?
Should regular checkups with a dermatologist be made?
>> Anyone that notices a change in their skin, whether it's a new spot or a change in their
mole, should see a primary care physician for an evaluation.
People at higher risk, people with many moles, unusual appearing moles, or a family history
of melanoma would likely benefit from a thorough skin exam by a dermatologist, who would then
make a recommendation for how often those skin checks should be done.
>> Okay, thanks so much Doctor Mackley.
And you can go back over there and continue answering the e-mail questions.
And we also want to thank the specialists for coming in this evening and answering your
calls.
Chuck, we'll send it back to you.
>> Okay, thank you Deborah very much.
And now joining us is director of the Penn State Hershey Melanoma Center, Doctor Gavin
Robertson.
Tell us about the center.
We've been talking around it, let's talk about the center.
>> Well thank you.
The center is really a group of researchers and physicians working together to develop
the next generation of drugs to treat melanoma patients.
It's a very interactive and translational group, making discoveries at the research
[inaudible] that are then converted to better therapies for patients.
>> We were talking about that, what about the research that's taking place in your lab,
that has to be extensive.
>> Well there's a lot of research, not just in my lab, throughout the Melanoma Center
research labs.
And essentially we discover the proteins that cause the disease, develop therapies against
those proteins, and then based on those discoveries actually undertake clinical trials to test
them in patients.
>> I see all that research going on there.
So as a lay person, I'm asking myself how close are we to a cure for melanoma?
>> Well actually for the first time in decades, there's some really impressive new therapies
out to treat melanoma patients.
Some of these therapies have very few side effects, and are quite effective, at least
for a short period of time.
Unfortunately, what's happening is resistance is developing.
So it's an example where, you know, the patients come in, samples are taken, the discoveries
are made, these discoveries are then translated to clinical applications, and now the clinical
applications are saying we need more research, and so it's actually going full circle back
to the research labs.
So I suspect in the next few years if we can figure out how to prevent the resistance,
we'll actually be closer to a cure than ever before.
>> That's encouraging, just what you said there.
Someone at home who might be dealing with this, or has someone in their family about
that, the research, all your work, and all the clinics, it seems to be paying off.
>> Yes, I think it's -- for the first time in decades we have better treatments to handle
melanoma.
So that's very exciting.
And I think it -- and we're just on track that it'll get better and better.
And I think for the first time, the cure is on the horizon.
>> That's a good way to close.
Thank you, doctor, for joining us here tonight.
And we also want to thank you, the viewers, for sharing your stories and sending us -- and
your questions.
If you would like, for information, would you like to schedule an appointment with Penn
State Hershey Center, here's the number to call, 531-1541, or visit online at pennstatehershey.org/cancer.
And come on out to the 7th Annual Ferand [phonetic] Colon Cancer 5K Run and Fun Walk on Saturday,
June 1st, to raise funds for colorectal cancer prevention, testing, and counseling at the
med center.
To register go online at pennstatehershey.org/colorectal.
Thank you for watching, and as always, good health.
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