Devils Center Brian Boyle's Cancer Is in Remission
NHL veteran center Brian Boyle told reporters that his cancer is in remission.
In September of 2017, Boyle revealed he had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. He returned to the ice for his first game with the Devils on Nov. 1 after missing 10 games, and on Nov. 9 he scored his first goal since the diagnoses.
Boyle's news came after getting a blood test on Monday. He said he will still need to continue taking his medication and he will still have regular doctors visits to make sure the cancer stays in remission so although the diagnoses is a major positive, "it doesn't change a whole lot for" how Boyle is approaching treatment at this time.
"A test [BCR-ABL1] looks for the leukemia cells in your blood and when I was first diagnosed, it was at 75 percent," Boyle said Wednesday. "At the end of last season, it was at .08 percent, and in July I was .04 percent. The results showed all zeros on Monday. It's full molecular remission, and I feel really good. It was kind of the way the progression was happening the last few tests. When I told my wife, she was excited and got emotional."
Doctors initially told the him that it could take up to 18 months for the cancer to go in remission, but Boyle was able to get the great news in just 12 months and 33 days.
Last season Boyle won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance and dedication to hockey and scored 13 goals with 10 assists in 69 games for New Jersey. He has three goals and one helper through six games this season.
The Devils next play on Thursday when they host the Predators.