Peritoneal Cancer - Various Treatments

abrub

westie66 said:

Peritoneal Cancer
Hi: Only 30 years old with this thing. But because he is young he can fight it with all he's got. Surgery isn't an option for me either, not yet at least, probably because of my age and only one team of doctors do this surgery in Canada so lots ahead of me.

One major difference I forgot to mention between the PPC and ovarian type and the gastro-intestinal types is ascites buildup. I don't think (but please let me know if I'm wrong) that the purely gastro-derived peritoneum cancer like colon and gallbladder (except for appendix) doesn't result in this buildup. Which may be too bad because at least that is a noticeable symptom! I have none.
Cheryl

Ascites are a problem with the GI type as well
Lots of Appendix cancer people have ascites. Pseudomyxoma Peritonei is a peritoneal buildup of mucin and ascites - a common problem among appendix cancer patients. You'll see about it if you look up PMP. I didn't have ascites, but several of my appendix cancer friends did - looked 9 months pregnant, and had to be drained numerous times.

The tumors manifest differently, but it is all various forms of peritoneal cancer, whether primary or secondary (as in my case.)

Alice

lulu1010

graymidday said:

Hi Cheryl, responding
Hi Cheryl, responding regarding my mother, we are in the US though, not Canada. She was dx Oct. 2010 as PPC. Unoperable.Mass was seen in the peritoneam, in the uterus, cervix and possibly ovaries. She did 6 rounds of carbo/taxol, finishing in Feb 2011. The next scan showed decrease in disease and her CA125 had dropped from 3600 had dx to within normal after the 6 chemos. They did debulking surgery in March 2011, followed by 3 more rounds of cabo/taxol but on more of a dose dense schedule after surgery. The pathology at surgery showed 3 places of postive cells still, including near the colon. The surgeon also said that there was alot of scar tissue on the ovaries so they are not sure where the cancer even originally came from. Could be USPC (uterine serous papillay carconma), ovarian with spread to the peritoneam, or truly PPC. It is VERY frustrating to not have a primary because some of the treatments ARE indeed different! I see many with PPC are on folfox yet that drug has never been mentioned to us by her doctors. I also know with USPC, radiation is almost always given. Radiation was never mentioned to us either. So, they are indeed treating her as ovarian, yet dx as PPC. Just thought I would share. Very complicated.

graymidday
My pathology said it was ovarian but my ovaries were fine and tested negative. The doctor said it is PPC with ovarian origin even if the ovaries were negative. I guess the original cell came from the ovary and grew in the peritoneam. It is confusing.

lulu1010

graymidday said:

Hi Cheryl, responding
Hi Cheryl, responding regarding my mother, we are in the US though, not Canada. She was dx Oct. 2010 as PPC. Unoperable.Mass was seen in the peritoneam, in the uterus, cervix and possibly ovaries. She did 6 rounds of carbo/taxol, finishing in Feb 2011. The next scan showed decrease in disease and her CA125 had dropped from 3600 had dx to within normal after the 6 chemos. They did debulking surgery in March 2011, followed by 3 more rounds of cabo/taxol but on more of a dose dense schedule after surgery. The pathology at surgery showed 3 places of postive cells still, including near the colon. The surgeon also said that there was alot of scar tissue on the ovaries so they are not sure where the cancer even originally came from. Could be USPC (uterine serous papillay carconma), ovarian with spread to the peritoneam, or truly PPC. It is VERY frustrating to not have a primary because some of the treatments ARE indeed different! I see many with PPC are on folfox yet that drug has never been mentioned to us by her doctors. I also know with USPC, radiation is almost always given. Radiation was never mentioned to us either. So, they are indeed treating her as ovarian, yet dx as PPC. Just thought I would share. Very complicated.

graymidday
My pathology said it was ovarian but my ovaries were fine and tested negative. The doctor said it is PPC with ovarian origin even if the ovaries were negative. I guess the original cell came from the ovary and grew in the peritoneam. It is confusing.

westie66

lulu1010 said:

graymidday
My pathology said it was ovarian but my ovaries were fine and tested negative. The doctor said it is PPC with ovarian origin even if the ovaries were negative. I guess the original cell came from the ovary and grew in the peritoneam. It is confusing.

Very confusing
It sure is! As I understand it, the peritoneum (in women only?) is composed of tissue like the ovaries. And so PPC and ovarian cancer peritoneum cancer are treated similarly. Whereas tumours on the peritoneum from another source that is gastro-intestinal (like gallbladder, colon, appendix) are treated as they would be at the source, no matter the bed. So the first type gets taxol/carb... or something similar while the gastro-intestinal folks gets FOLFOX or FOLFOXFIRI treatments. Guess it doesn't matter in the latter that the bed is not the same.
Cheryl

graymidday

westie66 said:

Very confusing
It sure is! As I understand it, the peritoneum (in women only?) is composed of tissue like the ovaries. And so PPC and ovarian cancer peritoneum cancer are treated similarly. Whereas tumours on the peritoneum from another source that is gastro-intestinal (like gallbladder, colon, appendix) are treated as they would be at the source, no matter the bed. So the first type gets taxol/carb... or something similar while the gastro-intestinal folks gets FOLFOX or FOLFOXFIRI treatments. Guess it doesn't matter in the latter that the bed is not the same.
Cheryl

Westie- do they do the
Cheryl- do they do the different chemo treaments because the cell type is different then I am assuming? mom is serous papillary and I would guess other types of PPC steming from the gallblader, colon, etc. would not be that same cell type?

abrub

graymidday said:

Westie- do they do the
Cheryl- do they do the different chemo treaments because the cell type is different then I am assuming? mom is serous papillary and I would guess other types of PPC steming from the gallblader, colon, etc. would not be that same cell type?

chemo depends on cell type
Yes. The chemo is chosen based on the cell type. That's why I had Folfox - a chemo that is used for colo-rectal cancers, for my appendix cancer with peritoneal spread. I also had intraperitoneal chemo of FUDR, which is another form of 5FU, the primary colo-rectal chemo drug.

AussieMaddie

zambezi said:

Peritoneal Cancer
Hi Cheryl,

Having only recently been diagnosed, I am so pleased to have found this site and people like you!

I too first presented with a very distended abdomen and extreme discomfort. A sonar showed a 10cm mass, ascites and a pleural effusion. By the time I had the CT Scan a few weeks later, the mass had grown to 14.6cm. Many doctors and tests later I had the following:
Cytology of Peritoneal fluid - Metastatic Adenocarcinoma
CA125 - 1020 and was told this indicated Ovarian Cancer - except that my ovaries and uterus had been removed 2 years ago, and the histology was clear.
One dr diagnosed Ovarian Cancer with Peritoneal Mets and wasnt very hopeful (or helpful).
The next oncologist was certain that I had Primary Peritoneal Ca (of retroperitoneum, peritoneum, omentum and mesentery) and that it was treatable.

I have had 3 chemo treatments thusfar - Carboplatin and Paclitaxel.
14 days after my first chemo I felt enormous abdominal relief and found that my abd girth had decreased by 6cm! I felt way better than I had before starting Chemo.
Treatments 2 and 3 went even better and I experienced very little in the way of side effects.
Debulking has been suggested after treatment 4.

I have to add that I am convinced that my radical change in diet has been the reason the chemo treatments have been so easy for me.
An Alkaline diet eating and drinking mainly raw veg seems to have worked wonders in helping my body cope with the chemo. A book called The pH Miracle by Robert O Young was my inspiration to try and get my body to heal itself.

I know that I have a long road ahead of me, but have every confidence that this disease can be beaten by us all.
Best wishes
Gail

Horses for courses
Hi Gail,

we have followed a very similar regime. Carb/Taxol has worked very well for me as well. Very few side effects and my CA125 has come down constantly from an initial 1300+ to 12 at last count after my 10th cycle.

Only obvious difference is our diet.

I'm an enormously compulsive eater, and I eat *everything*, and I'd have to say that my progress hasn't been the worse for it. I've also responded to the chemo very well. Having started out with "10kg of fluid in my abdomen" and, later "1.2litres in my lung" - both now drained - the chemo has kept both at bay. If a good diet helps you that's fine, but I will be grateful if I can stop eating long enough just to reflect on it. Not that I'm advocating an unhealthy diet. For many other people (perhaps who have weaker constitutions) my diet would be the worse thing they could possibly do. I'm just saying that it seems nothing is written in stone.

AussieMaddie

westie66

abrub said:

chemo depends on cell type
Yes. The chemo is chosen based on the cell type. That's why I had Folfox - a chemo that is used for colo-rectal cancers, for my appendix cancer with peritoneal spread. I also had intraperitoneal chemo of FUDR, which is another form of 5FU, the primary colo-rectal chemo drug.

Chemo Does Depend on Cell Type
HI: I asked that very question of my oncologist when I was reading the ovarian cancer discussion threads and wondered why they were getting different chemicals than I was for peritoneum invasion. Exactly what he said - my nodules and those of abrub and others where the tumours on the peritoneum were invaded by cancer cells from other cancers like appendix, gallbladder, colon, are of different cell structure than those that originate on the peritoneum itself or from ovarian cancer. So they get taxol/carbo.... and we get FOLFOX or FOLFOXFIRI (i.e. treatments for colon cancer and other gastro-intestinal cancers). Would the treatment for ovarian/peritoneum cancer work on the gastro-intestinal derived cancers? Probably not but who knows!
My treatment is oxaliplatin/irenotecan/5FU by pump. 5Fu is also used for breast cancer.
It also appears that the surgeries are different too.
Cheryl

hamzah_mohd

Peritoneal Cancer cure or new technology ?

Hi all,

I am from india, my mother is recently diagnosed with advanced pertioneal cancer, near abdomen. doctors here says it is a rare type of desease, which only occurs in women. i read all of your post, could anyone please suggest what treatment we should look forward to. my mums age is 50. 

LorettaMarshall

Hamzah_mohd - https://csn.cancer.org/node/309507 my remarks 2 U

Please see my remarks to you at this separate topic forum. https://csn.cancer.org/node/309507

Only one lady is still posting presently.  Her ID is "Abrub".  Many others may respond if your remarks are in a separate form more easily seen currently.

Loretta

Soberiowagirl

Peritoneal

Hi. Was diagnosed in October 16

With peritoneal cancer. Debulked October 31st.

Chemo started Dec.2nd and ended March 23rd. They say

Im in remission but will never be cured. I feel sick still and have pain 

I go for my 3 mo. Check up a couple weeks and am scared.

Soberiowagirl

Need help just getting thru
I'm new at this and will work at getting better at sharing. I just hope someone is listening. Before I found this I felt alone with this and somewhat unique, I am so glad there are others. That sounds so bad.
If your out there please speak up. I'll share everthing. Thank you.

abrub

What is the origin of your peritoneal cancer.

Mine was the a ' pending and I'm 10 years out from dx.

MKG

Dear Soberiowagirl,

Dear Soberiowagirl,

Hi, am new to this website. I was diagnosed with stage 3C peritoneal cancer on the 28th of June.  Since then I have had 3 sessions of chemotherapy and heading  for my operation on the 21st of September. 

According to my doctors my peritoneal cancer has not come from an organ, it's just on the lining. 

According to my treatment  plan I have to under go three more sessions of chemotherapy after my operation. 

I experienced sever side effects after my 1st session of chemotherapy but the 2nd and 3rd was much easier on the body.

Do take care,

lveusa

Peritoneal 3A is what they are saying surgery oct 13

Hi Everyone...newly dia last 2 weeks has been surreal fluid draw ascities found ovarian makers bloating was first sign something very wrong then I called for outside mobile ultrasoud company they come to your home and do it then send report to you and your Dr fluid found so she said go get cat scan I did next day at ER and then confirmation big problems then I wanted to be released and if I had Cancer I wanted it dealt with at Major Cancer center which is where iam going now from the start no pain no bleeding no nothing but bloating frequent urination,,,,,,So surgery going to be remove it all female parts and tumor on omentum and on lining of peritoneal looks like other organs unremrkable..........12 years ago I had gastri bypass I really think that has something to do with this as No Ovarian or Cancer in my family history my sister did braca test we dont have the gene for it So anyway I thank God for this board so I canhear what yall are going thru and ..........Iam Praying for everyone...........D

EJ

lveusa said:

Peritoneal 3A is what they are saying surgery oct 13

Hi Everyone...newly dia last 2 weeks has been surreal fluid draw ascities found ovarian makers bloating was first sign something very wrong then I called for outside mobile ultrasoud company they come to your home and do it then send report to you and your Dr fluid found so she said go get cat scan I did next day at ER and then confirmation big problems then I wanted to be released and if I had Cancer I wanted it dealt with at Major Cancer center which is where iam going now from the start no pain no bleeding no nothing but bloating frequent urination,,,,,,So surgery going to be remove it all female parts and tumor on omentum and on lining of peritoneal looks like other organs unremrkable..........12 years ago I had gastri bypass I really think that has something to do with this as No Ovarian or Cancer in my family history my sister did braca test we dont have the gene for it So anyway I thank God for this board so I canhear what yall are going thru and ..........Iam Praying for everyone...........D

I was diagnosed with primary

I was diagnosed with primary peritoneal cancer 4 years ago. I was treated with carboplatin and Taxol. I had 6 rounds and then 3 years in remission. I relapsed 2 months ago and am now being treated with carboplatin and gemcidabine. I didn’t need surgery as I had a total hysterectomy 5 years before my first diagnosis. I have been under the care of an MD Anderson physician and have been very happy with my care. Good luck with your treatment. There is light at the end of the tunnel. 

 

Willow oaks

Hope you are still doing well! I’m just now searching for the best treatment for peritoneal cancer from uterine cancer reoccurrence.