Surgery went wonderful!!

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3greatkids
3greatkids Member Posts: 45
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi everyone...just wanted to let everyone know that Mikes surgery went wonderful today. There is no signs of it spreading, and they were able to reconnect and not have to do a permanent colostomy!!! Now, I do have one quick question that I hope someone can help me with...Sorry to be such a bug, but the drs. are always in such a rush. The dr. said that the results from the lymph nodes would be back in a couple of weeks...can someone please tell me exacatly what that means if they come back positive? He clearly stated that it had not spread to any other organs,(they also had the results from the MRI to confirm this), so I just want to know what happens if any of the lymph nodes are affected. Thanks everyone
Sylvia

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  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #2
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    Sylvia -

    Cancer cells present in the lymph nodes is an indication of possible spreading - through the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is sort of like a back-up circulatory system so it goes everywhere. If the system is "contaminated" with cancer cells (which they will have to allow to grow to see if there are any present - hence the two week wait on results) then it is possible for those cancer cell contaminants to end-up elsewhere in the body. This would stage Mike at Stage 3 versus stage 2 (where there is no lymph node involvement).

    If he's "just" stage 2, they may opt for no chemo. If he's stage 3, they would most likely opt for chemo to try and kill any stray cells that may be present in his body somewhere.

    Of course if he's stage 2, they still may want to do "prophylactic" chemotherapy - just to be sure.

    Glad surgery went well for him. Encourage him to walk as much as possible and to drink lots and lots and lots of water.

    Cheers

    - SpongeBob
  • rdy2shop
    rdy2shop Member Posts: 37
    #3
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    Hi there, I am glad that the surgery went well. My husband had rectal cancer. At time of surgery, they told us that there were no other organs found. Everything looked really good. They take out as many lymph nodes as they can. They then test them for any type of cancer cells or deposits. My husbands cat scans showed that there was no lymph node involvement, but unfortunately when the results of the lymph nodes came back he had 6 positive out of 21 lymph nodes. Usually anything over 4 positive lymph nodes, you are considered high risk. WE were told with radiation and chemotherapy treatments he had a 60-70 chance of cure. If under 4 positive lymph nodes the cure rate goes up. We were devastated. But.....as many here will tell you. That is only a number, they can only give you estimates. My husband was cancer free this past Nov for 2 years. That is a major milestone for us. His scans are next week. Since he had 6 positive lymph nodes he had 6 more months of oxaliplatin and camptosar. He couldn't take 5fu, it caused heart spasms. So, I hope that all lymph nodes come back negative for your husband, but remember if they do come back positive, there is still a lot of treatments and cures. If you have any other questions, email me and we'll talk. Take Care,
    Elaine
  • fedester
    fedester Member Posts: 753 Member
    #4
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    hi sylvia and mike,
    glad to hear everything went well. as sponger stated if stage 2 should have chemo to kill any loose cells. i had 23 negative nodes and onclogist gave my 6 months chemo as a precaution. surgeon said if i were 70 live my life without treatment but because i was 47 didn't want to take a chance. all the best mike, keep up the fight.

    stay the course
    keep the faith
    never never give up

    all the best
    bruce
  • kangatoo
    kangatoo Member Posts: 2,105 Member
    #5
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    fedester said:

    hi sylvia and mike,
    glad to hear everything went well. as sponger stated if stage 2 should have chemo to kill any loose cells. i had 23 negative nodes and onclogist gave my 6 months chemo as a precaution. surgeon said if i were 70 live my life without treatment but because i was 47 didn't want to take a chance. all the best mike, keep up the fight.

    stay the course
    keep the faith
    never never give up

    all the best
    bruce

    Firstly...hiya Bruce..I missed you on your last post..good to hear you are doin ok mate.
    Sorry Sylvia and Mike..had to say hi there.Sylvia...glad to hear that Mike's pipes have been reconnected...that in itself must ease both your minds. As for the lymph nodes..well, the others have answered that so Jen and I wish Mike the best for a negative result on the lymph testing. Waiting can be hard gal but hopefully all will be well. Now keep this in mind. If they come out ok and he is staged at 2 then it may still be that he is scheduled for chemo to get rid of any rodent lurking cells. Here in OZ stage 2'ers, like me get the choice although my onc. and surgeon recommended I go with it which I did...for 6 months. No easy road but I think worth it. I am now almost 2 years NED(no evidence disease) so take heart....all is not doom and gloom for a 2 staging.
    All the best, Ross and Jen
  • Kanort
    Kanort Member Posts: 1,272 Member
    #6
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    Hi Sylvia,

    Thanks for letting us know about Mike's surgery. I hope his recovery goes well and that his pathology report shows no node involvement.

    Keep us posted and give him my best.

    Kay

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