Walsh to undergo more tests UM hockey coach continues cancer battle

University of Maine hockey coach Shawn Walsh will head to Massachusetts General Hospital next week to have more tests to see if the two immunotherapy treatments he underwent in California last summer and fall destroyed the cancerous tumors under his breastplate.

Walsh was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer, in June and had his cancerous kidney removed on July 7.

Cancerous cells were also detected under his breastplate so he underwent a relatively new treatment, immunotherapy, in which the healthy cells in the immune system are energized to attack the cancerous cells. Walsh underwent two 20-day treatments at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center on the UCLA campus.

A November CT (Computerized Tomography) scan conducted at Bangor’s Eastern Maine Medical Center was inconclusive. It showed the tumors hadn’t grown but they hadn’t disappeared, either.

“The tests I’m having done next week will tell us if the treatments I had in L.A. were beneficial,” said Walsh. “Then we’ll see what’s next.”

Walsh said he feels “real good.

“I feel strong. I’ve been eating great. All the outward signs are good,” said Walsh who added that the variety of side effects caused by the immunotherapy like fatigue, nausea and diarrhea have disappeared.

Walsh said if the tests show that the immunotherapy treatments weren’t as productive as he had hoped, his doctor, Dr. Gennaro Carpinito, already has “plans B, C and D in mind.”

There are several other treatments available including a new vaccine that, according to a German study, completely destroys tumors in some patients with advanced kidney cancer and shrinks tumors in other patients.

A story on the vaccine appeared in a November edition of the Boston Herald.

Walsh is closing in on his 400th career victory as he is currently sporting a 389-210-43 record in his 17 seasons at Maine. He has led Maine to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven Frozen Fours and two national championships.

His current team is 10-7-6 overall, 5-4-4 in Hockey East. The Bears, coming off a tie and a win against Boston University, are idle this weekend. They will return to the ice for practice Sunday before they travel to face Boston College on Jan. 26-27.