esophagas cancer metatosis to colon

larry5
larry5 Member Posts: 10
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
My husband was diagnosed with esophagas cancer in Janurary, he went through 6 weeks of chemo and radiation. April 19th he had a 12hour surgery, went in to respitory failer, and was in a coma for 8 days. He is home and doing better, except that when he eats about 20 minutes later he is in pain down towards his lower intestinal area, this lasts for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.

He had his 3 month CAT scan and there was a large adnormalty in his colon, along with a spot near his spleen. They are thinking that the spot near his spleen is dead fatty tissues, but the Gasologist that we see to do his throat stretching looked at the CAT scan and thinks it might be a tumor in his colon area.

Has anyone heard of esophagas cancer metatosis in the colon area?

Comments

  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,391 Member
    #2
    Abdominal discomfort is not unusual shortly after surgery
    Hello,

    I am not sure what kind of surgery your husband had, but if it was an esophagectomy and gastric pull up; (sometimes called an MIE, or THE, or Ivor Lewis procedure), to remove the tumor in his esophagus, it is not unusual to have some discomfort in the intestinal area that soon after surgery.

    If your gastroenterologist suspects that it may be a tumor I would think a colonoscopy would be in order to confirm his suspicions.

    In the time I have been reading the posts on this board I have not seen anyone who had esophageal cancer metastasis in the colon but I suppose cancer cells can take up residence in any organ.

    I would think the next step would be to schedule a colonoscopy and then decide what the next logical step would be after that.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 – Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 – 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #3
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • unclaw2002
    unclaw2002 Member Posts: 599
    #4
    As Paul said we are not
    As Paul said we are not doctors so this advice is only informational. However I would urge you to urge prompt follow up testing and not just wait. EC is a very agressive cancer and time is valuable.

    With respect to the CAT scan you may want to request a PET scan so the doctors can determine the activity in the spots that the CAT scan identified. The PET scan will show any hot spots in the body --- these spots/activity are generally categorized using an activity scale and called "SUV's" --- I know when I first heard about SUV's I kept thinking cars. A low number under 3 equates to low activity while a 10 indicates a very active area. Having a high SUV doesn't mean it is cancer it is just an indicator/flag that something may be going on. Indeed, about 20% of PET scans on average have false positive readings so don't despair even it it shows an active tumor --- but you need to be ready to face whatever is happening to your husband and get him the best treatment possible.

    The only way to know if it is cancer, and whether the EC cancer has spread to the colon (or if this is colon cancer) is to have a biopsy. That determination must be made before treatment options are evaluated. Good luck and keep in touch.

    Best,
    Cindy

Discussion Boards