4 chemo sessions and then PET scan... what to expect???

idlehunters
idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I am not having my 4th treatment for 2 more weeks but I was just wondering in that short amount of time will I see any changes or is that too soon to hope for something??? Just wondering if ya'll had seen any progress in that amount of time.

Jennie

Comments

  • Julie 44
    Julie 44 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #2
    Changes
    Jennie,
    What do you mean in changes????? You will probably have more side effects from all the drugs but you don't feel changes. You only know of changes which is determined by testing you....JULIE
  • snommintj
    snommintj Member Posts: 601
    #3
    Julie 44 said:

    Changes
    Jennie,
    What do you mean in changes????? You will probably have more side effects from all the drugs but you don't feel changes. You only know of changes which is determined by testing you....JULIE

    When any one asks about my scans I always say.....
    It's bad, they say I have cancer.

    Realistically, you should expect to see no significant tumor progression. You could see some tumor regression. Don't expect a miraculous response, not that it won't happen, but it is less likely.

    Something hopeful to think about. The doctors probably won't tell you. If you do have a positive tumor response they will say your tumors have shrank by a certain size. But they usually don't mention that they have also decreased in density. That decrease in density makes them more pliable and less likely to press and cause pain and tissue damage.
  • idlehunters
    idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
    #4
    snommintj said:

    When any one asks about my scans I always say.....
    It's bad, they say I have cancer.

    Realistically, you should expect to see no significant tumor progression. You could see some tumor regression. Don't expect a miraculous response, not that it won't happen, but it is less likely.

    Something hopeful to think about. The doctors probably won't tell you. If you do have a positive tumor response they will say your tumors have shrank by a certain size. But they usually don't mention that they have also decreased in density. That decrease in density makes them more pliable and less likely to press and cause pain and tissue damage.

    Onc Said
    I am just finishing up my 3rd folfiri treatment tomorrow (no side effects from any treatment as of yet... knock on wood) My onc told me after 4th treatment they would do another PET scan and see what our OPTIONS are then. That threw me for a loop because in the beginning he said I had NO options. Now he is talking a different tune and he ain't even seen an updated PET. My CEA levels dropped from 75 to 65 after first treatment. I guess I am just confused. 2 opinions... both saying palative care only.... and now 1 says possible ablations, surgery and maybe remission without even seeing whats in me at this point,,, what???
  • luv3jay
    luv3jay Member Posts: 533 Member
    #5
    idlehunters said:

    Onc Said
    I am just finishing up my 3rd folfiri treatment tomorrow (no side effects from any treatment as of yet... knock on wood) My onc told me after 4th treatment they would do another PET scan and see what our OPTIONS are then. That threw me for a loop because in the beginning he said I had NO options. Now he is talking a different tune and he ain't even seen an updated PET. My CEA levels dropped from 75 to 65 after first treatment. I guess I am just confused. 2 opinions... both saying palative care only.... and now 1 says possible ablations, surgery and maybe remission without even seeing whats in me at this point,,, what???

    Miraculous Response!
    I actually had a wonderful response to chemo after the first 4 neoadjuvant cycles. The primary tumor in the rectum disappeared completely. Of the two tumors in my liver, one disappeared and the other one shrank considerably, according to the PET scan. However, upon doing the liver resection, they actually found 2 smaller tumors that were removed as well, that didn't show up on the PET. Of course, I had to wait 6 weeks between the 4th cycle and surgery, so perhaps those two small ones grew during that time. Anyway, good luck on your PET and I hope you have the same great response that I did!
  • eric38
    eric38 Member Posts: 583
    #6
    luv3jay said:

    Miraculous Response!
    I actually had a wonderful response to chemo after the first 4 neoadjuvant cycles. The primary tumor in the rectum disappeared completely. Of the two tumors in my liver, one disappeared and the other one shrank considerably, according to the PET scan. However, upon doing the liver resection, they actually found 2 smaller tumors that were removed as well, that didn't show up on the PET. Of course, I had to wait 6 weeks between the 4th cycle and surgery, so perhaps those two small ones grew during that time. Anyway, good luck on your PET and I hope you have the same great response that I did!

    Something hopeful to think
    Something hopeful to think about. There`s nothing for sure yet but after only 3.5 months months my doctor thinks there might be a good chance I am already N.E.D. He is giving me three more treatments before he scans me just to make sure. I didn`t know it could happen that fast but apparently it can. I am prepared for the other possibility but I am confident that if I am not NED I will show significant improvement. I trust my onc and he has been doing this for 21 years. He is a brain and probably would not make those kind of statements unless he was pretty confident but he is judging by my response to treatment so far so it is just an educated guess at this point. Regardless, there is the possibility of significant improvement in a short amount of time.

    Eric ( : . )
  • snommintj
    snommintj Member Posts: 601
    #7
    eric38 said:

    Something hopeful to think
    Something hopeful to think about. There`s nothing for sure yet but after only 3.5 months months my doctor thinks there might be a good chance I am already N.E.D. He is giving me three more treatments before he scans me just to make sure. I didn`t know it could happen that fast but apparently it can. I am prepared for the other possibility but I am confident that if I am not NED I will show significant improvement. I trust my onc and he has been doing this for 21 years. He is a brain and probably would not make those kind of statements unless he was pretty confident but he is judging by my response to treatment so far so it is just an educated guess at this point. Regardless, there is the possibility of significant improvement in a short amount of time.

    Eric ( : . )

    Don't get me wrong
    I had a semi-miraculous response to my chemo when I first started it. I went from a "2-3 month with no hope of surgery" prognosis to a "we think you might have a shot" to a your "NED, today". So miraculous responses are possible, in fact, I need another with my most recent recurrence. But I'm not expecting one, I'll sure take one if I get it though.
  • mom_2_3
    mom_2_3 Member Posts: 953 Member
    #8
    After 4 treatments
    Jennie,

    After 4 treatments my liver mets shrunk between 30% and 40%. After my scan I waited for a copy of the CD and compared the scan to my original scan. I told my husband that the largest met in my liver had gone down about 40% and he said "do you think you're a radiologist?" He was laughing at me. When I got the results of the scan the measurements of the largest met were in the report as well as the old measurements and it was exactly 40% shrinkage on that met. I told my husband perhaps radiology was in my future as a career... :)

    So it's hard to say what you will experience but I knew as I was doing treatment that my mets were getting smaller. At resection (right after my 5th treatment) I was told that the largest met had 90% necrosis.

    I pray you get good results!!!

    Amy
  • idlehunters
    idlehunters Member Posts: 1,787 Member
    #9
    mom_2_3 said:

    After 4 treatments
    Jennie,

    After 4 treatments my liver mets shrunk between 30% and 40%. After my scan I waited for a copy of the CD and compared the scan to my original scan. I told my husband that the largest met in my liver had gone down about 40% and he said "do you think you're a radiologist?" He was laughing at me. When I got the results of the scan the measurements of the largest met were in the report as well as the old measurements and it was exactly 40% shrinkage on that met. I told my husband perhaps radiology was in my future as a career... :)

    So it's hard to say what you will experience but I knew as I was doing treatment that my mets were getting smaller. At resection (right after my 5th treatment) I was told that the largest met had 90% necrosis.

    I pray you get good results!!!

    Amy

    amy... what is necrosis????
    amy... what is necrosis???? Thank you all for your comments. I am just really hoping I see some progress. That is 2 weeks away.... I am soooooooooooo anxious.

    Jennie
  • mom_2_3
    mom_2_3 Member Posts: 953 Member
    #10
    idlehunters said:

    amy... what is necrosis????
    amy... what is necrosis???? Thank you all for your comments. I am just really hoping I see some progress. That is 2 weeks away.... I am soooooooooooo anxious.

    Jennie

    Necrosis
    My doctor told me that necrosis meant that the tumor was dead/dying. So 90% of the cells in the removed tumor weren't movin' anymore. Yahoo!

    I think the hardest time during my treatment was that first 2 months as we didn't know if treatment was working or not. As we got news that treatment was going the right way a burden was lifted off of my shoulders. Keep your chin up!!

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