Competitive Golfer Finds Best Approach to Cancer Treatment
| Oct. 18, 2017 | Most patients find out they have chronic lymphocytic leukemia after a regular visit to their primary care provider. This blood cancer, commonly called CLL, is most often diagnosed in older patients.
It happened this way for Bill Wrentz, 67, of Cabot. Wrentz was scheduled for a visit with his primary care physician in 2013 when his doctor asked him if he’d recently had the flu.
“He noticed my white blood cell count was a lot higher than it should have been,” Wrentz said.
Wrentz’s doctor scheduled a follow-up appointment for three weeks later saying, if the illness had run its course, his numbers should be back in normal range.
“At the next visit, they were higher than before,” Wrentz said. “Since I wasn’t showing any other symptoms, he suspected CLL and referred me to an oncologist, who confirmed that diagnosis in January 2014.”
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is different from other cancers in that it’s often not treated right away. Leukemia specialist Peter Emanuel, M.D., director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, says CLL progresses very slowly. The only way to cure it is with a bone marrow transplant. Since most CLL patients are elderly, a transplant would be too toxic and not worth the risk.
Peter Emanuel, M.D., greets Bill Wrentz prior to his appointment.
“So we control the disease,” Emanuel said. “The first several years after diagnosis, patients typically don’t have any symptoms.”
Wrentz started seeing Emanuel because he wanted a second opinion. About eight months after his diagnosis, Wrentz’s original oncologist wanted him to start chemotherapy.
“I was not comfortable with the idea of starting treatment,” Wrentz said. “I felt fine.”
Wrentz says a friend of his, a physician in San Antonio, listened to his concerns and agreed based on Wrentz’ numbers that it could be too soon to start treatment. He suggested Wrentz go to an academic health institution like UAMS.
“I was fortunate to get an appointment with Dr. Emanuel, considering his busy schedule. It was September 2014.” Wrentz said. “He looked at my numbers and agreed I wasn’t ready for treatment.”
Since then, Wrentz has been going to the Cancer Institute quarterly to have his blood drawn for monitoring. His cancer is progressing, but Emanuel says he hasn’t yet reached the point where he needs treatment. Beginning treatment earlier, Emanuel says, will not cause him to live longer.
“It’s to his advantage to wait,” Emanuel said. “He’s a competitive golfer. Not having chemotherapy has allowed him over the last couple of summers to compete at a high level without having to worry about treatment or its side effects.” Wrentz was named 2016 and 2017 Super-Senior Player of the Year by the Arkansas State Golf Association.
“I’m very happy and comfortable with Dr. Emanuel,” Wrentz said. “He’s up on the latest research with treatment of disease and that give me a lot of confidence. He never makes me feel like he’s in a rush and takes the time to answer all my questions.”
Emanuel says in the past three or four years, there have been new therapies for treating CLL that are FDA approved and others that are nearing FDA approval.
“The outlook is better. We’re not quite curing it yet. But there are lots of different options available to us.”