Fran's son has Thyroid cancer

[LawVHawk]

Why do you say this? What Harty says is in line with all I have read and what Coach himself says in his statement. Right now they know there is a tumor present, they are going to do surgery and then test the tumor to determine whether it is malignant, or not.

Normally you would biopsy the tumor before surgery. Wonder if this has been done, or if there is a reason they are going direct to surgery? Typically you would have a biopsy that would confirm the presence of cancer in the tumor, then surgery would be done with the presumption of partial or full removal of the thyroid. But before that procedure is done more of the tissue is collected for immediate testing to determine whether it is in fact necessary to remove part or all of the thyroid.

 

[smhawk]

Maybe the players can gain some perspective and relieve over pressing themselves, as this could be a reminder that it's just a game. I hope they can wear a patch with his initials to put out some awareness for this type of cancer.

 

[LawVHawk]

Statement from Fran, posted on the HN home page:

“Last week it was discovered that our son, Patrick, has a tumor on his thyroid. Patrick is currently undergoing tests and is scheduled to undergo surgery next Wednesday, March 19, at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Once the mass is removed, additional tests will determine a further course of action.

"I was made aware of Patrick’s condition prior to traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, last Wednesday. Margaret and I notified our players and staff of Patrick’s health issue after a biopsy was done on Monday.

"We appreciate your concern and ask that you respect our family’s privacy as we address Patrick’s health.â€￾

 

[kctom]

I work in the cancer research field & have for the last 21 yrs. Obviously, any kind of cancer one is battling is worrisome and has the potential to be bad. That said, if one had to choose a cancer to get, one would be thyroid or testicular followed by prostate. This can be very treatable and responds well to surgery & radiation, if needed. I'm not sure this has been positively confirmed yet. The normal work-up includes often times a fine needle aspirate which can show many false positives when doing a FNA on the thyroid. There is a good chance this FNA shows signs of a follicular neoplasm but may not be a malignancy. We will see. If it is a malignancy and is resected, the Pt will go on Synthroid or Levothyroxine which is very easy to take with very minimal, if any, side effects. They will just have to monitor his levels with his development. I have reviewed many "suspicious" FNA's in my work which don't turn out to be cancer. Overall, luckily, the odds are good. But, it is never comfortable when it is a loved one or you. We will wish him well.

Melrose, I'm curious about the time table following the FNA. So this will go to Cytology then Cytolopathology for assessment? The turn around time on that is usually a day or 2, so A. Being a high profile Dad who is IOWA employee and is leaving town Wed, it will probably get expedited? B. Best case scenario the Bx is negative and they will know Wed before the game, correct? C. Many Thyroid samples prove to be indeterminate ~30% requiring additional testing, which means the TAT for a result will move into, what, next week? Do you know if Iowa does that testing in-house ( and therefore could expedite again). Thank you....

It would just be so nice for the family to know the status, and for it to be negative, before the BTT, what a feel good story that would be....

 

[kctom]

I work in the cancer research field & have for the last 21 yrs. Obviously, any kind of cancer one is battling is worrisome and has the potential to be bad. That said, if one had to choose a cancer to get, one would be thyroid or testicular followed by prostate. This can be very treatable and responds well to surgery & radiation, if needed. I'm not sure this has been positively confirmed yet. The normal work-up includes often times a fine needle aspirate which can show many false positives when doing a FNA on the thyroid. There is a good chance this FNA shows signs of a follicular neoplasm but may not be a malignancy. We will see. If it is a malignancy and is resected, the Pt will go on Synthroid or Levothyroxine which is very easy to take with very minimal, if any, side effects. They will just have to monitor his levels with his development. I have reviewed many "suspicious" FNA's in my work which don't turn out to be cancer. Overall, luckily, the odds are good. But, it is never comfortable when it is a loved one or you. We will wish him well.

Melrose, I'm curious about the time table following the FNA. So this will go to Cytology then Cytolopathology for assessment? The turn around time on that is usually a day or 2, so A. Being a high profile Dad who is IOWA employee and is leaving town Wed, it will probably get expedited? B. Best case scenario the Bx is negative and they will know Wed before the game, correct? C. Many Thyroid samples prove to be indeterminate ~30% requiring additional testing, which means the TAT for a result will move into, what, next week? Do you know if Iowa does that testing in-house ( and therefore could expedite again). Thank you....

It would just be so nice for the family to know the status, and for it to be negative, before the BTT, what a feel good story that would be....

 

[RushTogether]

Indianapolis. He's flying to Des Moines tomorrow morning for the state tournament. Flying to IC after the game, picking up Patrick and flying to Indy.

Why would he be going to Indianapolis?

The surgery is in Iowa City

 

[Billso]

Why do you say this? What Harty says is in line with all I have read and what Coach himself says in his statement.

Because the original media headlines, as per the OP, were that "Fran's son has thyroid cancer".

"Due to a reporter’s error, an earlier story incorrectly stated that the tumor was cancerous."

Read more: McCaffery confirms son has thyroid tumor | TheGazette

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

Because the original media headlines, as per the OP, were that "Fran's son has thyroid cancer".

Exactly.

 

[LawVHawk]

Why would he be going to Indianapolis?

The surgery is in Iowa City

Surgery is Wednesday, March 19. BTT will be wrapped up but hopefully the Hawks will be headed someplace to dance then. The surgery shouldn't be so serious that Fran couldn't be home for the surgery, fly that afternoon or evening to the tourney site.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Melrose, I'm curious about the time table following the FNA. So this will go to Cytology then Cytolopathology for assessment? The turn around time on that is usually a day or 2, so A. Being a high profile Dad who is IOWA employee and is leaving town Wed, it will probably get expedited? B. Best case scenario the Bx is negative and they will know Wed before the game, correct? C. Many Thyroid samples prove to be indeterminate ~30% requiring additional testing, which means the TAT for a result will move into, what, next week? Do you know if Iowa does that testing in-house ( and therefore could expedite again). Thank you....

It would just be so nice for the family to know the status, and for it to be negative, before the BTT, what a feel good story that would be....

They should know. If indeterminate or even neg, may necessitate surgery anyway since there is a demonstrable mass. Correct on the partial vs total thyroidectomy above. It may be easier in pt's to monitor the thyroid levels if have a total since have a baseline. If thyroid tissue is left, levels could fluctuate, especially in a young individual still growing.

 

[CyFan65]

Thoughts and Prayers to the family. God Bless.

 

[SPGroth]

Thought and prayers to the family and medical staff taking care of Patrick.

Our local radio station in Cedar Rapids (KGYM) reported that there was a radio host in the Des Moines area that was bashing Fran for not attending the B1G conference call this week. They speculated that he was ducking the media after the loss to Illinois. Can anyone in the Des Moines area tell me which station put this on the air?

 

[kctom]

They should know. If indeterminate or even neg, may necessitate surgery anyway since there is a demonstrable mass. Correct on the partial vs total thyroidectomy above. It may be easier in pt's to monitor the thyroid levels if have a total since have a baseline. If thyroid tissue is left, levels could fluctuate, especially in a young individual still growing.

So Melrose, FNA this week, initial assessment, thyreoidectomy next week, is that how you see the timeline? Therefore they may know some results, at least if benign, this week still?
Thank you, this is very helpful.

 

[metahawk]

Thought and prayers to the family and medical staff taking care of Patrick.

Our local radio station in Cedar Rapids (KGYM) reported that there was a radio host in the Des Moines area that was bashing Fran for not attending the B1G conference call this week. They speculated that he was ducking the media after the loss to Illinois. Can anyone in the Des Moines area tell me which station put this on the air?

Yea I heard what they are referring to - I believe.

Early morning on drive in - KXNO Travis Justice. He was stating that Fran should have given a reason for opting out of a press conference. I would think Travis Justice apologized rapidly after finding out the news.

I heard his criticism piece on the radio, then when I heard the news later that day about Fran's son, I felt sick. My son is around the same age - plus/minus a few months I think.

 

[docholihawk]

The Lord performs miracles every day, I'll pray for one for the McCaffrey family.

 

[528646]

The Lord performs miracles every day, I'll pray for one for the McCaffrey family.

Modern medicine plus a little bit of luck goes a long ways.