Father diagnosed with stomach cancer

akchandran
akchandran Member Posts: 7
edited March 2014 in Stomach Cancer #1
Hello,

My father has just been diagnosed with stomach cancer via CT scan and endoscopy. We will be consulting with a surgical oncologist this Friday and a medical oncologist on Monday. But I had a few questions regarding the CT results, the Gastroenterologist failed to decifer it for us.

"There is markedly abnormal thickening of the posterolateral wall of the stomach on the left with abnormal stranding in this region and this is suspicious for ulcerating neoplasm. There is inflammatory stranding noted adjacent to this region as well as abnormal enhancement in the mesentery that is suspicious for omental caking on the right in the right posterior colic gutter. There is no retroperitoneal or mesenteric lymphadenopathy identified."

Anyone who can decifer the above in common terms?

A subsequent endoscopy with biopsy has confirmed the mass in the stomach is cancer.

Does this mean the cancer may have spread beyond the stomach? Has anyone had surgery in this circumstance?

My father is visiting us from India for a period of 6 months. He has 6 more weeks left in his stay. We would like to get surgery done here in the US and do follow-up chemotherapy in India. Is 6 weeks sufficient time for surgery and recovery to travel back to India?

Any cancer survivors with the above situation? Please help.

Thank you,
Anandhi

Comments

  • tanya99
    tanya99 Member Posts: 10
    Hi Anandi
    I am so sorry to hear about your father's diagnosis. My mom is also suffering from stomach cancer. She was diagnosed in sep 2003. She underwent operation in India.
    From which state are you from?
  • akchandran
    akchandran Member Posts: 7
    tanya99 said:

    Hi Anandi
    I am so sorry to hear about your father's diagnosis. My mom is also suffering from stomach cancer. She was diagnosed in sep 2003. She underwent operation in India.
    From which state are you from?

    I am originally from Tamil Nadu, specifically Chennai. I live in Detroit, Michigan now. Where are you from? I am sorry to hear about your mom. How is she doing now?
  • tanya99
    tanya99 Member Posts: 10
    I am from Stamford, CT. My mom is undergoing chemotherapy now. Her maker levels are fluctuating from past two months so we started chemo again. My parents are from Hyderabad, AP.
    To find best doctors in your area go to colorectal discussion group and post it there.
  • akchandran
    akchandran Member Posts: 7
    tanya99 said:

    I am from Stamford, CT. My mom is undergoing chemotherapy now. Her maker levels are fluctuating from past two months so we started chemo again. My parents are from Hyderabad, AP.
    To find best doctors in your area go to colorectal discussion group and post it there.

    Is your mom getting treated in India? If so, what center? We might take my dad back to India after the surgery for chemotherapy. So I am in the quest to find best cancer centers in India as well.
    It's only the begining, and I am already feeling overwhelmed with all the information, making appointments, coordinating and collecting test results, not to mention the hassle with my dad's travel health insurance.
  • tanya99
    tanya99 Member Posts: 10
    My email ID- tanya_vrs@yahoo.com. Contact me directly if you need any help.
  • Scully
    Scully Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I can understand how worrying and scared you must be feeling at the moment, my dad has just been diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer with liver mets, he went through the same procedures as your dad seems to have gone through. Has your dad been told that he will have just chemo or that they will operate? Usually if they can operate and remove the stomach this is a good sign...I hope that this is the case, usually if it is contained to the stomach and has not gone to other areas there is a really good survival rate. Unfortunately my dad's cancer is too late to treat and they are just trying to ease his symptoms with Chemotherapy.

    I wish you all the very post, and am sorry I can't help you to decipher the doctors notes, i've only learned a little bit over the last few weeks. I hope everything goes well with your dad and my thoughts are with you.
  • diggy
    diggy Member Posts: 2
    Scully said:

    Hi, I can understand how worrying and scared you must be feeling at the moment, my dad has just been diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer with liver mets, he went through the same procedures as your dad seems to have gone through. Has your dad been told that he will have just chemo or that they will operate? Usually if they can operate and remove the stomach this is a good sign...I hope that this is the case, usually if it is contained to the stomach and has not gone to other areas there is a really good survival rate. Unfortunately my dad's cancer is too late to treat and they are just trying to ease his symptoms with Chemotherapy.

    I wish you all the very post, and am sorry I can't help you to decipher the doctors notes, i've only learned a little bit over the last few weeks. I hope everything goes well with your dad and my thoughts are with you.

    I am in exactly the same position as you are. My dad is having chemo. How is your dad doing. Is the chemo making a difference. I am taking my dad for a ct scan on Monday to see what the results are I am very scared.
  • newbenben
    newbenben Member Posts: 1

    Is your mom getting treated in India? If so, what center? We might take my dad back to India after the surgery for chemotherapy. So I am in the quest to find best cancer centers in India as well.
    It's only the begining, and I am already feeling overwhelmed with all the information, making appointments, coordinating and collecting test results, not to mention the hassle with my dad's travel health insurance.

    Hi,

    My mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. I live in USA, but my parents are in India. I want to treat my mom in the USA.
    Can you please let me know where to buy the health insurance and travel insurance for her? She is indian citizen and doesn't have any SSN.

    Will the health insurance cover all the costs for operation, chemo, radiation, medicines etc?

    please let me know
  • newbenben said:

    Hi,

    My mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. I live in USA, but my parents are in India. I want to treat my mom in the USA.
    Can you please let me know where to buy the health insurance and travel insurance for her? She is indian citizen and doesn't have any SSN.

    Will the health insurance cover all the costs for operation, chemo, radiation, medicines etc?

    please let me know

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • Paul420
    Paul420 Member Posts: 17
    Hi, my name is Paul, 39, from Hockessin, Delaware. I was diagnosed with stomach cancer (a tumor half the size of my stomach) in June 2003. I went to the University of Texas' M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. It is the number 1 cancer research and treatment centers in the nation and the world. I underwent 6 months of chemo from Sept. 2003 to February 2004. By April 2004, the tumor was gone and the cancer that had spread to the liver, transverse colon, diaphragm and adbominal wall is all gone. I was on a J-tube feeding tube from August 2003 to December 2003 but was taken out when I attained a regular weight of 140 pounds. I do exactly what the oncology department told me. Green tea, brocolli, tomatoes, cran-grape juice and almonds every day.

    My wife and I can not say enough about M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. There is an oncology department for each organ in the body and a floor for each organ. The center is made up of 12 hospitals, I believe, from cancer treatments for infants to the elderly and even a veterns hospital. Our e-mail is rescue26@msn.com if you want to contact or call us.

    Our only other option was Sloan-Kettering in NYC.