CACS - Bob Kurtz Bio

This page is dedicated to members of the CACS who have lost their fight with Carcinoid Cancer. We present this information first as a memorial to the departed member and second in the hope that the information here will be helpful to someone who is researching or fighting our disease. Click a link below to see the memorial bios.
Ted Crump
1939 - 2008

Bob DeGroot
1945 - 2007

Gloria Guadagno
1934 - 2007

Liz Hollenbach
1948 - 2007

Susan Spillman
1959 - 2006

Larry Chinnery
1938 - 2006

Mark Redfern
1956 - 2005

Jennifer Murphy
1960 - 2003

"Coach" Lombardi
1962 - 2003

"Bob" Niblock
1936 - 2003

"Bob" Kurtz
1939 - 2002

"Kay" Shea
1931 - 2002

"Mickey" Moomey
1925 - 2002

"Don" Jones
1953 - 2002

Survivors
Bios of living members

Robert W. Kurtz
1939 - December 3, 2002
Bob was born in Pittsburg, PA in 1939 and in 1961 earned a degree in journalism at Ohio University. As a member of the ROTC there he also earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He spent his active duty years at the Army Intelligence School at Ft. Holabird. Immediately after leaving active duty he worked for the Glenn L.Martin aircraft facility and participated in PR for the Gemini space program.

He spent 25 years from 1967 until his retirement in 1992 in various public relations capacities for the C & P Telephone Company (now Bell Atlantic). During his tenure there he was a PR manager, wrote and edited various company publications and also wrote and delivered talks on the telephone industry to local organizations and groups.

Later on he moved to the C & P group headquarters in Washington, DC where he was responsible for employee information for telephone systems in 7 states. During this time he also wrote numerous speaches for telephone company executives.

Not one to sit on his laurels, when he retired in 1992, Bob served as a telecommunications consultant for Sprint, Digex and KMC. He and his wife of 38 years, Susan, traveled throughout the USA, Canada and Europe by rail. He also was an avid squash player and for many years sang BASS in the choir of the Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church in Towson, MD.

Bob was active and enjoyed life almost to the very end of his days. He finally sucuumbed to Carcinoid Cancer on the morning of Dec. 3, 2002.

Bob is survived by his wife of 38 years, the former Susan Rugemer, his daughter Elizabeth A Kurtz, a brother, Earl L Kurtz and his parents, Harold and Harriet Kurtz.

Bob Kurtz's Carcinoid Story
Diagnosed August 1998 after series of MRIs showed numerous small liver tumors. Biopsy confirmed they were Carcinoid tumors.

Asymptomatic. No syndrome to speak of. Minimal flushing if at all. No diarrhea.

Started chemotherapy regimen at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore September 25, 1998, alternating DTIC/Adriamycin and 5FU/Streptozocin for a week with three weeks off between treatments. Had three cycles with all four meds. CT scan after first cycle showed some shrinkage and disappearance of the more than twenty 2-cm tumors on my liver. No change in largest 3 cm liver tumor or in a 3 cm mesentery tumor. Scans after 2nd and 3rd cycles~showed no change -- no shrinkage, no growth.

After the third cycle in March 1999, Hopkins put me on a "wait and watch" schedule with CT scans every three months. First scan June 14 showed basically no change.

Met with a Carcinoid specialist, Dr. Richard Warner, in New York April 8,1999 for a 2nd opinion. He ran a series of tests, and all the findings were consistent with a functioning Carcinoid with elevated levels. He also did a cell proliferation study that showed tumors aren't all that aggressive. Dr. Warner's recommendation was to start me on Sandostatin with progressive escalation up to at least 900 mcg a day before switching to LAR 30 mg. He also recommended liver chemoembolization (CE) and after that a regimen of Sandostatin and low-dose Interferon.

My Hopkins oncologist OK'd the Sando but said no to the CE. Didn't think it was needed and it was too risky. Had scheduled meeting with Dr. Larry Kvols, another Carcinoid specialist in Florida, to get a third opinion on CE, but canceled the meeting to have elective surgery in September 1999 to remove golf ball-size tumor from ileum that had started causing abdominal problems. Surgeon said tumor was probably the primary. His report also noted numerous small liver tumors (so small he could not treat them with RFA), lymph node involvement in the mesentery, and "seedlings" in the Lining of the stomach.

Since bulk of the tumor load was still in the liver, I continued to pursue CE with Hopkins oncologist who finally relented Had two liver CEs (right lobe, then left lobe) in early 2000. Docs said MRIs showed almost 100 percent tumor necrosis. Meanwhile, stayed on Sandostatin LAR 30 and was on Intron A (Interferon) for a couple of months later in 2000, but stopped due to excessive fatigue.

Tumor marker tests (5HIAA, CgA) in normal range until late summer 2001 when they elevated. Meanwhile, late 2001 MRI showed tumors had begun growing back on liver. Dr. Jeff Geschwind, interventional radiologist at Hopkins who had done first two CEs, recommended a third.

Saw Dr. Warner November 13, 2001. He recommended staying on LAR 30 and beginning low dose systemic chemotherapy using DTIC.

Elected to have the third CE (right lobe) which was done January 24, 2002. Again, MRI showed almost 100 percent tumor necrosis. Left lobe CE scheduled March 21, 2002 canceled.

As of March 20, 2002, awaiting results of recent tumor marker tests to determine whether to start DTIC. This is the last of the Carcinoid bio written by Bob himself