Thank You

deneenb
deneenb Member Posts: 130
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Good morning,

I want to thank everyone who responded to my request for prayers with regard to my Dad's Pet Scan results yesterday. Unfortunately, the Dr. said that the scan showed 2 spots on the liver about 1 and 1/2 inches, which he said may be "just on the surface". I asked him if they were operable and he didn't say yes or no he just said that's not the only place your father has disease. We are aware of the other location my father has disease, his peritineum/omentum. However, a PET scan will not pick up those cells so there is no way to track their progression or regression, short of opening him up and taking a look. My feeling is why not treat the spots on the liver (resect) since you know you can. He gave the impression that there is no point in doing that because of the peritineum mets. How does he know the peritineum mets haven't already died or that maybe the chemo will kill them ? How can you leave the spots on the liver untreated when there is no way of tracking the peritineum mets. Shouldn't you take care of what you can take care of and hope for the best with what you can't see ? Why leave something in there that you know can be removed ? Does anyone have an opinion on the level of aggressiveness of our Dr. I feel that he is being less than aggressive enough.

To bolster that last comment, this Dr. was not even aware that there was surgery available for the peritineum mets. Shouldn't he be aware of everything that is available even if he is not capable of providing it himself ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I hope everyone is feeling well.

Comments

  • Btrcup
    Btrcup Member Posts: 286
    #2
    Hi Deneen, just read this message (already answered the mouth sores one). My husband also had mets to omentum. His PET/CT results in July (he started chemo in April) came back "no evidence of disease". So I can't understand why they are saying they can't track the omentum. We just had a consultation this am with onc and hubby's chemo will be ending in Oct. (yea!!). I'm no doctor, but it sounds strange. Hope this helps.

    Linda (Baltimore)
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #3
    Hi Deneen, I had no idea that they can't track peritineum/omentum mets. I thought that if there's cancer there, it will light up and if there isn't any there, it won't light up. I'm not in this situation as my Bert was diagnosed stage III last July (2003) with no mets but, I too am no doctor, yet I don't understand if there are mets there why they can't be tracked.

    If possible, I'd seek another opinion. One of the reasons Bert switched oncologist back in January 2004 is that we wanted one on our team that is very aggressive and believes in striving for a cure, not management. We were blessed and got one.

    Monika
  • carmen07
    carmen07 Member Posts: 120 Member
    #4
    Deneen
    Sorry to hear about your Dad's PET scan results.
    I believe from your prior postings that he just started his chemo treatment.
    I know that when we went for Consult for my husband's two liver lesions, they told us that he would have to have clear Scan results for the rest of his body. They do not want the cancer returning to the liver. So he had 9 treatments of chemo before liver surgery.
    If your Dad responds to the treatments - Will they do surgery on the liver??
    I know that Bogart (think that's how you spell name) is suppose to be the best liver surgeon at sloane.
    Also the Jay Monahan Center just opened in NYC this past March (in memory of Katie Couric husband) which is a comprehensive Treatment center for gastrointestinal Cancers.
    If your not comfortable with the Doctors decision than seek a second opinion.

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