Nicholle Anderson’s latest medical tests reveal that her primary tumour, behind her nose, has shrunk dramatically.



In an update published on her blog, StickbyNick, the wife of Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson said her newest CT scan “shows a pretty clear nasopharynx area.”



Anderson is battling a rare form of head and neck cancer known as nasopharyngeal cancer. The nasopharynx is located behind the nose, in the upper part of the throat.



Anderson said her radiation oncologist at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Nancy Lee, told her after reviewing the scan that “if she wouldn’t have known I had NPC (nasopharyngeal cancer), she would think my area looked normal.”



The CT scan shows the passageway behind her nose is now all but clear of the carcinoma that once dominated the space.

“We are still working on the lymph node in my neck: It has responded in the right direction,” added Anderson. “I am so looking forward to this round being over. Only 11 more radiations, and one more chemo to go this round!”



As part of Anderson’s aggressive treatment plan, she’s receiving radiation therapy (33 sessions) alongside chemotherapy. It is to be followed by three more rounds of chemotherapy over a 12-week period.





The latest CT scans published by Nicholle Anderson on her blog, StickbyNik, show that her treatment has dramatically reduced the size of her principal tumour, behind her nose. The image on the left is from Nov. 9th, before her treatment began: the tumour, in the centre of the image, appears white. The second image, on the right, was taken this week and shows an open airway, which appears black.

In her blog, the mother of two young boys reveals her cancer journey began after she went to the doctor with a constellation of cold-like symptoms, including nasal congestion, phlegm, night sweats and exhaustion. “My lungs were clear and ears felt full,” Anderson said. “The feeling was similar to when you fly on an airplane with constant ear popping.”



A doctor recommended that she have an ultrasound on the swollen lymph node in her neck, which led to a biopsy that confirmed the lump was malignant. Later, a mass was found behind Anderson’s nose, in the upper part of her throat, and a biopsy confirmed the presence of nasopharyngeal cancer.



Nasopharyngeal cancer is relatively rare in North America. It’s more common in Asia and North Africa, and tends to affect men more than women.



Anderson’s type of nasopharyngeal cancer is rarer still and is linked to the Epstein-Barr virus — a common human virus that sometimes leads to mononucleosis or relatively mild childhood illnesses. Sometimes, however, the virus can remain dormant in people, and in rare cases, DNA from the virus can mix with DNA in the cells of the nasopharynx, causing them to multiply abnormally and grow into malignant tumours.



In her blog, Anderson said her course of treatment has been defined by her cancer’s link to the Epstein-Barr virus.



Senators goaltender Craig Anderson is on an indefinite leave from the team to be with his wife. They plan to launch a charitable cancer foundation later this year.