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smokeyjoe
smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
edited August 2012 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Yesterday I think it was someone had posted that their friend had stage ii colon cancer and there was cancer in her lungs too, I can't really recall the rest of how the post went or what they were asking. I replied something to the effect that with mets in the lung it probably wasn't stage ii disease but stage 1V. I asked for input from you guys, I'm not a Dr. nor any type of expert....so I was also kinda fishing for an answer or clarification...but once you have any kind of distant mets showing up anywhere, liver, lungs,distant lymph nodes etc. are you Stage 1V now?? I've heard people say before they are stage 11 or stage 111 but they have lung or liver mets.....and they stick to saying they are stage 11. I went back today to see if anyone replied, but the whole post seems to be gone.

Comments

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #2
    Joe:)
    L

    My old onc had said, once it spreads, it was automatically considered a stage IV, because of the progression.

    I talked with Blake about this before he passed...and he told me that we are really only stage IV's if were diagnosed as a stage 4.

    Otherwise, we would be what we were originally dx'd...with the added caveat of "mCRC" added.

    So, as an example if one were say a Stage IIb and it metastasized.....one would be...
    "Stage IIb mCRC."

    He had gotten that information from the ACS I believe, or another trusted source.
  • Coppercent
    Coppercent Member Posts: 158
    #3
    Stages
    My understanding is that it is Stage II only if there are no lymph nodes and no other organs involved. However, if they have a recurrance or it mestastasis to the lymph nodes or another organ than they have Stage II with a recurrance or mestatasis say to the lungs or to the liver. The stage never changes but the new occurances are added to the stage. The treatments can be different if they are treating a recurrance/mestatais than if they are treating Stage IV. Plus I think they keep the original staging for statistical purposes.

    Although I think a person can have a primary colorectal cancer and a primary lung cancer that are not related.

    But this is only my understanding. This is the way my oncologist explained it and this is the way it is explained by ACS.
  • Vickilg
    Vickilg Member Posts: 281 Member
    #4
    Coppercent said:

    Stages
    My understanding is that it is Stage II only if there are no lymph nodes and no other organs involved. However, if they have a recurrance or it mestastasis to the lymph nodes or another organ than they have Stage II with a recurrance or mestatasis say to the lungs or to the liver. The stage never changes but the new occurances are added to the stage. The treatments can be different if they are treating a recurrance/mestatais than if they are treating Stage IV. Plus I think they keep the original staging for statistical purposes.

    Although I think a person can have a primary colorectal cancer and a primary lung cancer that are not related.

    But this is only my understanding. This is the way my oncologist explained it and this is the way it is explained by ACS.

    Staging
    Its my understanding that you stay classified at your original diagnosis for stat purposes. However once it spreads you are Stage IV but still classified for stats as the original stage.
  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    #5
    I asked this yesterday of a
    I asked this yesterday of a doc at the cancer center.
    I have mets but not lymph nodes infected so I am still a stag 2/3 and not a stage4.
  • PatchAdams
    PatchAdams Member Posts: 271
    #6
    Onc disagrees
    I read a heated debate about a year ago regarding staging and whether or not staging changes with mets. I was Stage IIIB at the time.

    My onc said that's wishful thinking. He said once cancer spreads to a distant site, you are Stage IV. He does use sub staging tho. I'm now a Stage IVa. I didn't bother to ask the difference between IVa and IV.
  • steved
    steved Member Posts: 834 Member
    #7
    Confusion
    I have had a recent confusing conversation with people here. Talked to my team and seems the confusions arises from two different approaches-

    Stats- for stats you stay at your original stage and they see what happens from there eg the idea of stage 2 with subsequent mets.

    Clinical- they restage you accoding to where you are NOW. You can therefore move up stages (not down unless they admit they made a mistake). Therefore your clinicl treatment is for where you are now.

    The clinical one is the one that decides your fate really.

    steve
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #8
    PatchAdams said:

    Onc disagrees
    I read a heated debate about a year ago regarding staging and whether or not staging changes with mets. I was Stage IIIB at the time.

    My onc said that's wishful thinking. He said once cancer spreads to a distant site, you are Stage IV. He does use sub staging tho. I'm now a Stage IVa. I didn't bother to ask the difference between IVa and IV.

    A cancer’s stage does not change
    "An important point some people have trouble understanding is that
    the stage of a cancer does not change over time, even if the
    cancer progresses. A cancer that comes back or spreads is still
    referred to by the stage it was given when it was first found and
    diagnosed—information about the current extent of the cancer is
    added to it."
    American Cancer Socety

    "The stage is based on the location(s) of the tumors at the time
    the cancer is first discovered. The stage stays the same
    throughout your course of treatment."
    Memorial Sloan-Kettering

    "If you are diagnosed with colon cancer, your doctor will
    determine the stage of the disease. Staging is a way of
    classifying cancer by how much disease is in the body and where
    it has spread when it is diagnosed. This helps the doctor plan
    the best way to treat the cancer. Once the staging classification
    is determined, it stays the same even if treatment works or the
    cancer spreads."
    MD Anderson

    All of that said......

    If your condition worsens and you need to be re-staged for
    insurance purposes, or to be eligible for a disability, your physician
    can provide documentation to that effect.

    It should be kept in mind however, that re-staging to what represents
    an immediate deadly situation, can make you ineligible for other
    means of treatments.

    Just sayin'...


    Wishes for everyone's healthier times,

    John
  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #9
    steved said:

    Confusion
    I have had a recent confusing conversation with people here. Talked to my team and seems the confusions arises from two different approaches-

    Stats- for stats you stay at your original stage and they see what happens from there eg the idea of stage 2 with subsequent mets.

    Clinical- they restage you accoding to where you are NOW. You can therefore move up stages (not down unless they admit they made a mistake). Therefore your clinicl treatment is for where you are now.

    The clinical one is the one that decides your fate really.

    steve

    Is it dependent on lymph
    Is it dependent on lymph nodes, I thought cancer spread either through your blood or your lymph nodes. I think there has been several people with little or no lymph node involvement but they've been stage 1V. I agree with Steves last line though.
  • steved
    steved Member Posts: 834 Member
    #10
    smokeyjoe said:

    Is it dependent on lymph
    Is it dependent on lymph nodes, I thought cancer spread either through your blood or your lymph nodes. I think there has been several people with little or no lymph node involvement but they've been stage 1V. I agree with Steves last line though.

    Lymph nodes
    At a basic level any lymph node involvement makes you stage 3 and any spread that suggests blood spread is stage 4 (so you can be 4 with no lymph node involvement technically- it 'trumps' lymph node involvement).

    steve
  • Helen321
    Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
    #11
    Apparently I will always be
    Apparently I will always be a stage I since I presented that way and have a whole bunch of numbers and letters attached to it. I find it stupid so I just say I'm stage III which is what I technically am. My doctor will say stage I 1234abcd when talking to other doctors so they know that it is progressing since they found it which is important and determines how they treat you. That can get a bit long.

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