https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/my...-aungelique-proctor-shares-surgery-update.amp
Scans showed Aungelique had what's known as a
gastrointestinal stromal tumor, or GIST, that was at least 13 centimeters, or just over 5 inches in size.
Emory St. Joseph's Dr. Josh Winer, Aungelique's surgeon, says the tumor was in a tricky place, wrapped around the top part of her stomach.
"So, this tumor was adherent to her diaphragm, her liver, her pancreas, spleen," Dr. Winer explains.
Because this would be a complex surgery, Aungelique Proctor's oncologist at Emory's Winship Cancer Institute wanted her to wait on the operation until they could try to shrink the tumor.
Instead of starting chemotherapy, Aungelique began taking a
targeted daily treatment, a pill, known as Gleevec.
She has never lost her hair and says she has experienced no serious side effects.
And, the pill, she says, was the breakthrough she needed.
Within a month or two, Aungelique and her husband Max Anderson, were told the tumor was shrinking, quickly.
"We were blown away," she says. 'Max and I were looking at each other like, 'This is unbelievable!'"
Dr. Winer says the Gleevec shrunk the tumor from 13 centimeters to about 7 centimeters, causing it to pull away from the stomach wall.
"If she hadn't responded and hadn't stopped bleeding, we would have had to take out her whole stomach as well as her spleen, part of her pancreas, part of the diaphragm," Winer says. "So, it was extremely important to have that shrink the way it did."