{"id":23106,"date":"2019-03-19T10:47:40","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T16:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=23106"},"modified":"2024-07-29T17:04:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T23:04:45","slug":"pulling-out-all-the-stops-when-fighting-bone-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/pulling-out-all-the-stops-when-fighting-bone-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Pulling out all the stops when fighting bone cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Jim
Jim DeMersseman has played competitive tennis since he was 10, and he\u2019s now back playing as captain of his men\u2019s team. Photo by Kati Blocker, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After playing competitive tennis for more than five decades, Jim DeMersseman found himself in too much pain to pick up his tennis ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I had injured my back,\u201d said DeMersseman, 75, a former University of Colorado athlete. \u201cI\u2019ve hurt it, God knows, how many times before.\u201d<\/p>\n

He followed up with a massage therapist, physical therapist and chiropractor. Nothing was working; he wasn\u2019t getting better. And the pain grew worse.<\/p>\n

Having had joint surgery before, DeMersseman decided to return to his orthopedic surgeon at Orthopedic and Spine Center of the Rockies. An X-ray didn\u2019t show any spine issues. So, they decided he\u2019d get an MRI.<\/p>\n

Three days later, his doctor asked him to come back.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had the images up on the screen,\u201d DeMersseman recalled. \u201cThere were black dots throughout my spine and rib cage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those dots weren\u2019t supposed to be there.<\/p>\n

The bad news<\/b><\/h3>\n

Immediately, his surgeon connected him to UCHealth\u2019s Dr. Doug Kemme<\/span><\/a>, a medical oncologist serving northern Colorado. DeMersseman, a high school English teacher at Greeley Central High for almost 30 years, knew of the local cancer doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cKemme is well-known locally,\u201d DeMersseman said.<\/p>\n

After several more scans and a biopsy of DeMersseman\u2019s lower spine, Kemme confirmed the cause of the pain.<\/p>\n

White blood cells found in bone marrow help fight infection. One type of cell \u2014 plasma cells \u2014 make antibodies to help attack and kill germs.<\/p>\n

In DeMersseman\u2019s case, his plasma cells had started to grow out of control, making abnormal protein and crowding out normal blood-forming cells, such as white and red cells and platelets.<\/p>\n

The diagnosis was multiple myeloma<\/a> \u2014 a bone cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when I understood that I was a whole lot sicker than I thought I was,\u201d DeMersseman said.<\/p>\n

The cancer was not only compromising his immune system and lowering his blood count, it was also affecting his bone strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cCancer that resides in the bones, for a lot of people and for Jim in particular, it weakens the bones, causing bone fractures and a lot of pain,\u201d Kemme said. \u201cIt\u2019s not unusual when they first show up for the patient to be in really bad shape. Jim was just miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The good news<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Jim
Jim DeMersseman enjoys a recent trip to Phoenix with his brother for spring training. Photo courtesy of Jim DeMersseman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The good news is that a lot of treatment options have been developed over the past decade for myeloma, Kemme said. And being a part of UCHealth, Kemme could also provide DeMersseman access to clinical trials, the latest drug-treatment options and an expert who\u2019s spent his career studying and treating this specific type of cancer, all while getting that care in his northern Colorado community.<\/p>\n

Myeloma is fairly rare. Kemme only sees a few new patients a year for myeloma, so he reaches out to subspecialized oncologists at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Dr. Peter Forsberg<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur role at the university is a bit different in that we sometimes sub-subspecialize,\u201d said Forsberg<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> an assistant professor at CU School of Medicine whose clinical and research focus is multiple myeloma and related diseases including amyloidosis and Waldenstrom\u2019s Macroglobulinemia. \u201cThrough training, we like to specialize even more than medical oncologists, so we get to be pretty knowledgeable about diseases where management is more complex. The nuance in how we specialize (treatment) is patient-by-patient rather than following broad-stroke guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Battling multiple myeloma<\/b><\/h3>\n

Before reaching out to Forsberg, Kemme had started Mersseman on radiation therapy to the most painful areas and on three non-chemotherapy drugs, including the pill Revlimid. DeMersseman had a good response, but after a few months he developed a skin rash.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone reacts differently to treatment and that is why a tailored approach with the very best doctors is essential\u201d, Kemme said.<\/p>\n

The combination of the rash, and the fact that Revlimid\u2019s effectiveness at battling the cancer seemed to have plateaued, had Kemme seeking alternatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a good idea of our options but there might be a new drug or new research that has just come out, so that\u2019s when I reach out to Dr. Forsberg,\u201d Kemme said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is such a benefit with having a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center an hour down the street that we\u2019ve been working with for years,\u201d Kemme said.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe know each other and we have each other\u2019s cell numbers and trust each other. That\u2019s not something that happens overnight or over long distances.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeMersseman stopped taking Reylimid and started taking Darzalex, a monoclonal antibody.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat caused a good response, and his tumor markers dropped quite dramatically,\u201d Kemme said.<\/p>\n

He continued with weekly treatments, and his body responded well. And because things were looking good, he began having treatments every other week.<\/p>\n

Getting back to life\"Jim<\/strong><\/h3>\n

He was doing so well, in fact, that a week before his 76th<\/sup> birthday \u2014 now a celebration that also marks another year of surviving cancer, he said \u2014 he was in Phoenix with his younger brother for Colorado Rockies spring training.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother and I historically have gone on trips together, and a measurement of their success is that neither of us can walk by the end,\u201d DeMersseman said from his hotel room. \u201cWe rented bikes as there is a great bike path nearby. We practice golf and go to the Rockies\u2019 games. By the end of the day we can barely move.\u201d<\/p>\n

He credits his well-being not only to his treatment but also to his rehab program.<\/p>\n

DeMersseman is able to get his treatment locally at the UCHealth Cancer Care and Hematology Clinic in Greeley. UCHealth refers its Greeley-area cancer patients for physical therapy to the University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute<\/span><\/a>, with which it has a great working relationship, Kemme said.<\/p>\n

DeMersseman said that his therapist, who\u2019s also a competitive softball player, has tailored DeMersseman\u2019s therapy so he can fulfill his desire to again play competitive tennis.<\/p>\n

Back on the court<\/strong><\/h3>\n

DeMersseman will never be cured of his cancer but through treatment and rehabilitation, he can manage it with a decent quality of life, Kemme said.<\/p>\n

\"Jim
Jim DeMersseman worked back to competitive tennis slowly after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He credits his return to competitive tennis to his treatment and rehabilitation regimens. Photo by Kati Blocker, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt will never go into complete remission,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo we work to find the best drug combination to manage it. And that\u2019s where I\u2019m at now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He will continue to receive treatment every other week as well as have blood draws on that same schedule to make sure his drug regimen is still working.<\/p>\n

But in between, he\u2019s back on the court \u2014 a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m playing good enough tennis that I can play with my team,\u201d he said proudly.<\/p>\n

In addition to twice-weekly set court times, he is the captain of a men\u2019s tennis team that starts league play in May. He conducts practices once a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a superman,\u201d Kemme said about DeMersseman. \u201cThere are plenty of people who don\u2019t push themselves like Jim. And some whose bone damage is such that they can\u2019t. But Jim had a good response \u2014 both to treatment and his diagnosis. He is one of our miracle men.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After playing competitive tennis for more than five decades, Jim DeMersseman found himself in too much pain to pick up his tennis ball. \u201cI thought I had injured my back,\u201d said DeMersseman, 75, a former University of Colorado athlete. \u201cI\u2019ve hurt it, God knows, how many times before.\u201d He followed up with a massage therapist, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":23112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[6761,28,6762,2177,1789],"class_list":["post-23106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-bone-cancer-treatment","tag-cancer-care-oncology","tag-melanoma-treatment","tag-rehabilitation-services","tag-uchealth-medical-center-of-the-rockies"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPulling out all the stops when fighting bone cancer - 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