mr. keane? dr. sibley.
it's my job, sir. please, sit down.
now, mr. keane, on the phone you referred to charlotte's condition as cancer. that isn't strictly accurate. neuroblastoma is a soft tissue malignancy, but it isn't cancer -- although it sometimes can be just as aggressive. it's most common in children. in young adults, the condition is extremely rare. in charlotte's case, the tumor is located in her chest. it's growing rapidly and has proved resistant to both irradiation and chemotherapy. and because of its proximity to her aorta, surgery is out of the question.
at present? nothing.
eventually she'll be treated for pain. in the end, surgery could become an option, but her chances of survival would be slim. right now charlotte's against it. she's signed a directive forbidding any sort of heroic intervention.
there's more here if you're interested, but it won't mean much to you.
optimistically? a year.
the repeat mri and cat scan do show interval progression.
yes. yes, it has. considerably. as for her loss of consciousness, one explanation is a disturbance in her heart's electrical function. we'll be monitoring her overnight for any arrhythmias. if we find something, we'll treat it. unfortunately, the more likely explanation is that the tumor has begun to obstruct the outflow of her heart. if that's the case, there's little we can do. we could be speaking in terms of weeks not months.
when she returns home, we'll want her to stay active, but don't let her overexert herself. don't stay long. she's been sedated.