SIR-Spheres microspheres for metastatic colon cancer - comments?

donnare

Hi everyone,

My sister-in-law sent this to me today - her co-worker's mother is having some success. You may already have heard about it, but thought I'd share it for those who may not have. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

http://www.sirtex.com/content.cfm?sec=usa&MenuID=1110

Of course the stats under prognosis upset me greatly - "...By contrast, in patients with similar disease who are not surgical candidates and who receive systemic chemotherapy, there are very few who survive 5 years..." . Sorry I read it - my husband is having systemic chemo, is not a candidate at this point for resection, and has over 11 mets to liver.

I am currently in work fighting back tears, but it has been a particularly rough couple of weeks anyway, so I am overly emotional today. My mom was hurt in a fall (broken knee, hand, two fingers, bruised and cut, but she will make a full recovery) and my husband was unable to get chemo yesterday due to an infection in his incision. They made a small incision so it could drain, and I have to pack it twice a day with medicated gauze after he showers - morning and night. He is on the mend with antibiotics and painkillers, I hope, and will be able to have chemo next Monday, I hope. It is still pretty painful, and of course when I have to pack it, he is in alot of pain. Never knew I'd be able to do something like this, but glad I can be there for him in whatever way he needs me.

It is scary that he didn't have the chemo yesterday. Last time we saw the onc she showed us the results of his scans - first was at dx, and the second was after surgery the day they started chemo, and the lesions on his liver grew noticeably without treatment (approx 6-7 weeks). But she said they have to treat the infection first.

Sometimes I have to fight hard to hold on to hope - today seems to be one of those days. Sorry, I'm rambling....


Hope you are all well,
Donna

PhillieG

I did not look at the entire article but I did look at the footnotes. This data is 4-5 years old. It may be BS. I can't stress this enough. BE WARY OF WHAT YOU READ ON THE INTERNET, THE INFORMATION IS OLD AND OUTDATED. Don't mean to YELL but so many people overlook this, I did at first. I know it's rough at times, but please try not get upset Donna, I had very many mets to the liver that were shrunk using chemo and avastin over 5 years ago.
-phil

donnare

PhillieG said:

I did not look at the entire article but I did look at the footnotes. This data is 4-5 years old. It may be BS. I can't stress this enough. BE WARY OF WHAT YOU READ ON THE INTERNET, THE INFORMATION IS OLD AND OUTDATED. Don't mean to YELL but so many people overlook this, I did at first. I know it's rough at times, but please try not get upset Donna, I had very many mets to the liver that were shrunk using chemo and avastin over 5 years ago.
-phil

Thanks Phil ..
You are right - didn't read much past the part that upset me. Promised myself I wouldn't read anymore stats after you all advised me not to when I first came here. Just a bad day I guess - trying to shake it off and stay positive and focused. Thanks for taking the time to yell at me :-))))

Always read your posts and enjoy your pictures! Also listened to some of your music and you rock! Gotta love blues guitar ...

Be well,
Donna

Paula G.

Spheres
I agree with Phil, but I was in contact with a gal that had been up to the Huntsman Cancer Int. here in Utah and she mentioned that they have the Spheres. I asked her what they were and she wasn't sure but said that she heard they were working pretty good. My husband has been told he will not be a sugical canidate but that was before Chemo. We are hopeing this has changed but won't know until his scan next month. We will be at the Huntsman then. Don't give up hope. Paula G.

Hatshepsut

PhillieG said:

I did not look at the entire article but I did look at the footnotes. This data is 4-5 years old. It may be BS. I can't stress this enough. BE WARY OF WHAT YOU READ ON THE INTERNET, THE INFORMATION IS OLD AND OUTDATED. Don't mean to YELL but so many people overlook this, I did at first. I know it's rough at times, but please try not get upset Donna, I had very many mets to the liver that were shrunk using chemo and avastin over 5 years ago.
-phil

Listen to the smart guy in the hat.
Donna:

Listen to the smart guy in the hat named Phillieg.

He is so very wise in counseling you to be wary of blanket statements that you read on the Internet about cancer survival rates. Some of the statistics in the article you cite reference research articles published back as far as 2001. That is eight long years ago! The newest stuff cited is dated January 2005.

I remember one of your first posts (under the thread "Reassurance") when you wrote:

"But, after my husband was basically given a death sentence at the first hospital when he got his dx, I was relieved when his surgeon (first doc he met with at cancer hospital) said that life with cancer as a "chronic" disease was possible. It was the first small ray of hope for me."

The doctor who counseled you to think of your husband's cancer as a chronic disease (1) was speaking as a person familiar with research and results in the 2009 world and (2) had personal familiarity with your husband's case and data. Listen to him. Listen to him. Listen to him. (Did I say listen to him?)

He is the expert with the up-to-date facts and, when he spoke to you, he had your husband's case (not some statistical average patient) at the forefront of his mind. Further, his wise counsel deserves your trust because he was bound by professional ethics to speak to you truthfully, telling you what you needed to hear based upon the facts.

Know that you are not alone in this fight, nor are you alone in being a caregiver who is having a devastatingly depressing day. I've had my share of awful days (including some recent ones!). This is a hard fight and what you are doing to care for your husband is critically important to his healing.



Hatshepsut

donnare

Paula G. said:

Spheres
I agree with Phil, but I was in contact with a gal that had been up to the Huntsman Cancer Int. here in Utah and she mentioned that they have the Spheres. I asked her what they were and she wasn't sure but said that she heard they were working pretty good. My husband has been told he will not be a sugical canidate but that was before Chemo. We are hopeing this has changed but won't know until his scan next month. We will be at the Huntsman then. Don't give up hope. Paula G.

Thanks Hatshepsut & Paula
Thank you girls for responding to my post. I am feeling better now and am definitely not giving up hope.

Hugs and thanks to you both,
Donna