Not sure if anyone remembers me - need advice please

concernedgal

Hi everyone

Not sure if you remember me but this forum was a great help when I joined to get advice for my brother who had stage 4 colon cancer. I stil read the forum now and again to see how everyone is and keep you all in my thoughts.

My friend is in her early 30s and also has stage 4 colon cancer. She has had surgery for colon and liver tumors but now has multiple lung tumors.

As we live in the UK, treatment for this stage of cancer isnt the best. She is on avastin and folfox and now on a break for a month (latest scan showed cancer was static after a year of chemo.)

She visited a lung surgeon to discuss the possibility of having the lung laser (it is new in the UK, although I know the US has had this for a while) she was advised she was not suitable as there was no guarantees surgery on the lungs would give her more time than the chemo, there had been a long gap between colon cancer and the lung mets, and there is more than 1 tumor in her lungs.

Does anyone have any advice for treatment options? Drs in the UK do no research for their patients and we are so behind in cancer treatment compared to the US.

Thank you

pete43lost_at_sea

a second opinion or third opinion
Maybe relax , we have has similiar posts recently about best reatment options.
i guess you will have to search for the best treatment options given budget and time.
At this point time is critical I think so be as polite and pushy as hell to referals and appointments. go on waiting lists. I often beg receptionists in a nice way. ask around and find a guru lung surgeon. if the same specialists give the same advice then at least you can be relieved. my onc and surgeon disagreed, i went with surgeon for surgery things and onc for onc things. I some ways I have heard the uk does somethings far better. so I guess all countries have strong and weak points. realistically most of us have to get the best out of our system where we live. If its that far behind then you will have to consider relocating.
Your friend is lucky to have you. sad she did not get tested with your brother also getting stage 4. did you get a colonsocopy yet? i hope your are clear. so many 30 somethings are getting this curse. tell someone about your story. see my xmas challenge if you like.
goodluck pete

Sonia32

hi
i remember you. sorry about your friend im in the uk. research is done but only place i know of is christies in manchester they are striving to be europes and possibly one of the worlds largest teaching cancer hospitals. I got treated there and they were lovely.try and get your friends onc to refer her. sonia ps. as the nice have said avaistan is to expensive for the uk, she is lucky to get it

concernedgal

Sonia32 said:

hi
i remember you. sorry about your friend im in the uk. research is done but only place i know of is christies in manchester they are striving to be europes and possibly one of the worlds largest teaching cancer hospitals. I got treated there and they were lovely.try and get your friends onc to refer her. sonia ps. as the nice have said avaistan is to expensive for the uk, she is lucky to get it

Thanks for the replies -
Thanks for the replies - Pete I had a colonoscopy last year and it was clear as was my parents. My younger sister still has to get one.

Sonia she is lucky to have avastin, was a bit of a fight to get the insurer to pay out.

Thanks for the info, will let her know about Christies. Thanks again, feel like I need to get as many options as I can to keep her going.

thxmiker

Check with the Medicine
Check with the Medicine Companies. Maybe they have a test group. Some Med Cos in the USA will give severe discounts to people whom show financial hardships. (One does not have to disclose that much info in the USA. I helped a friend with MS to get meds.)

Our thoughts are with you!
mike