Squamous v. Adeno

Ginny_B

Which of the two types would be considered worse to have?

chemosmoker

AGGRESSIVE but BOTH bad!
Squamous Cell is much more aggressive than Adenocarcinoma from what I remember reading... I will go find my notes and re-post if I must correct this. I do believe that the Squamous Cell was the more aggressive of the two. I have adenocarcinoma.

Squamous Cell EC tends to form closer to the mouth, while Adenocarcinoma appears closer to the GE junction.

"Squamous cell carcinoma is relatively slow growing, although it is more aggressive than basal cell carcinoma. It has a high cure rate, about 95 percent, if caught early and treated. Because it is a more aggressive cancer, if not treated it is more likely than basal cell carcinoma to continue to grow and spread to other parts of the body, including the internal organs."


-Eric

Ginny_B

chemosmoker said:

AGGRESSIVE but BOTH bad!
Squamous Cell is much more aggressive than Adenocarcinoma from what I remember reading... I will go find my notes and re-post if I must correct this. I do believe that the Squamous Cell was the more aggressive of the two. I have adenocarcinoma.

Squamous Cell EC tends to form closer to the mouth, while Adenocarcinoma appears closer to the GE junction.

"Squamous cell carcinoma is relatively slow growing, although it is more aggressive than basal cell carcinoma. It has a high cure rate, about 95 percent, if caught early and treated. Because it is a more aggressive cancer, if not treated it is more likely than basal cell carcinoma to continue to grow and spread to other parts of the body, including the internal organs."


-Eric

Thanks. I had malignant
Thanks. I had malignant squamous cell years ago. NED now. Mom has the adenocarcinoma. I just didn't know which was worse, so at least now she has ONE good thing going for her... it isn't squamous!

Thanks

CT scan in a few hours.

dogbackwards

chemosmoker said:

AGGRESSIVE but BOTH bad!
Squamous Cell is much more aggressive than Adenocarcinoma from what I remember reading... I will go find my notes and re-post if I must correct this. I do believe that the Squamous Cell was the more aggressive of the two. I have adenocarcinoma.

Squamous Cell EC tends to form closer to the mouth, while Adenocarcinoma appears closer to the GE junction.

"Squamous cell carcinoma is relatively slow growing, although it is more aggressive than basal cell carcinoma. It has a high cure rate, about 95 percent, if caught early and treated. Because it is a more aggressive cancer, if not treated it is more likely than basal cell carcinoma to continue to grow and spread to other parts of the body, including the internal organs."


-Eric

Whoa.
Whoa, half of that is simply not true sorry to say, squamous is slightly more aggressive and you just compared skin cancer to esophageal cancer. That quote that you posted refers solely to skin squamous carcinoma which is more agressive than basal cell. As far as which is more aggressive in the esophagus, squamous by about3-5% in terms of 5 year survival rates lower. It depends on the organ but that's just not true, chemosmoker.

chemosmoker

dogbackwards said:

Whoa.
Whoa, half of that is simply not true sorry to say, squamous is slightly more aggressive and you just compared skin cancer to esophageal cancer. That quote that you posted refers solely to skin squamous carcinoma which is more agressive than basal cell. As far as which is more aggressive in the esophagus, squamous by about3-5% in terms of 5 year survival rates lower. It depends on the organ but that's just not true, chemosmoker.

THANK YOU!!
OK then! I didn't realize until you just pointed that out that the link I had used WAS indeed for SKIN CANCER and BASIL CELL CARCINOMA. Thank you VERY much for correcting me!
I do NOT want anyone misinformed.

THAT being said, I was VERY CLEARLY TOLD by all THREE of our oncologists that the ADNOCARCINOMA that I have is WAY LESS aggressive than the Squamous cell that they used to see more cases of and that is now not the case and they see more of my type now, especially in young white (HANDSOME AND SEXY LIKE ME AND LEE) males.

Either way, you STILL have CANCER. And that is just plain BAD.

I do NOT want to post anything that is not correct, but I beg to differ, as we were told and I have read that what I have (and am enjoying life with a VERY VERY slow progression compared to those with Squamous cell) is WAY less aggressive than the other. Please post some sources and reference material so that we may BOTH learn and get to the bottom of this.

That, or William or Sherri will come along shortly and strraighten us BOTH out! LOL

Best wishes and God bless you for pointing out my mistake in my source material!

-Eric
PS- DO YOU HAVE A NAME?????

Ginny_B

chemosmoker said:

THANK YOU!!
OK then! I didn't realize until you just pointed that out that the link I had used WAS indeed for SKIN CANCER and BASIL CELL CARCINOMA. Thank you VERY much for correcting me!
I do NOT want anyone misinformed.

THAT being said, I was VERY CLEARLY TOLD by all THREE of our oncologists that the ADNOCARCINOMA that I have is WAY LESS aggressive than the Squamous cell that they used to see more cases of and that is now not the case and they see more of my type now, especially in young white (HANDSOME AND SEXY LIKE ME AND LEE) males.

Either way, you STILL have CANCER. And that is just plain BAD.

I do NOT want to post anything that is not correct, but I beg to differ, as we were told and I have read that what I have (and am enjoying life with a VERY VERY slow progression compared to those with Squamous cell) is WAY less aggressive than the other. Please post some sources and reference material so that we may BOTH learn and get to the bottom of this.

That, or William or Sherri will come along shortly and strraighten us BOTH out! LOL

Best wishes and God bless you for pointing out my mistake in my source material!

-Eric
PS- DO YOU HAVE A NAME?????

I have been reading about
I have been reading about both squamous and adeno carcinoma - and you are right - they are both bad. It was a long long trying day getting the CT scan. Lots of waiting. The test itself was fairly quick, but oh the waiting.

We also signed all the Powers of Attorney. Sigh...

Monday we get the results. I suspect one more test after the CT scan and that will be to determine if any nodes are involved. My mom looks so frail. It's hard to see that. She won't take pain meds. Then she eats and is overcome with pain. I just don't know how to get her to understand that she needs pain pills.

chemosmoker

Ginny_B said:

I have been reading about
I have been reading about both squamous and adeno carcinoma - and you are right - they are both bad. It was a long long trying day getting the CT scan. Lots of waiting. The test itself was fairly quick, but oh the waiting.

We also signed all the Powers of Attorney. Sigh...

Monday we get the results. I suspect one more test after the CT scan and that will be to determine if any nodes are involved. My mom looks so frail. It's hard to see that. She won't take pain meds. Then she eats and is overcome with pain. I just don't know how to get her to understand that she needs pain pills.

Pain Meds NEEDED
Ginny,
Can you have the doctor tell your mom that she needs to be taking the pain meds?
I understand that some older folks don't like to take the pain medications and think they are for the weak or that they should be able to just grin and bear it, as they are used to that attitude from their generation from what I have been told by my grandparents. But as you seem to realize and the doctors can surly tell her, she is not doing herself any favors and will only weaken herself more if she is in pain. She will NOT have the strength to fight this disease in ANY way if she is suffering in pain, and it WILL also keep her from eating in an healthy way. I KNOW when I am in pain the last thing I want to do is eat or fight or feel strong.
So maybe the doctors could help you and talk with her if you talk to them first without her presence?

I will be praying for you both.
God bless you,
-Eric

dogbackwards

chemosmoker said:

Pain Meds NEEDED
Ginny,
Can you have the doctor tell your mom that she needs to be taking the pain meds?
I understand that some older folks don't like to take the pain medications and think they are for the weak or that they should be able to just grin and bear it, as they are used to that attitude from their generation from what I have been told by my grandparents. But as you seem to realize and the doctors can surly tell her, she is not doing herself any favors and will only weaken herself more if she is in pain. She will NOT have the strength to fight this disease in ANY way if she is suffering in pain, and it WILL also keep her from eating in an healthy way. I KNOW when I am in pain the last thing I want to do is eat or fight or feel strong.
So maybe the doctors could help you and talk with her if you talk to them first without her presence?

I will be praying for you both.
God bless you,
-Eric

Its a metter of
It's a matter of opinion, if a person doesn't want to take pain pills then they won't, and the pain isn't that bad. If the pain was horrible and unbearable she would be taking the pills wether she likes it or not. I'm sorry to be so blunt about it but it's true. Also, if the pain receptors keep getting blocked and or numbed by drugs like ibuprofein her body might eventually get used to these numbing effects and when the pain/if the pain gets worse her body will be resistant to the effects of pain relievers such as morphine. In my opinion, and I'm no doctor whatsoever,I think she should take the pills on her own. If the pain gets to that point she will take them, until then don't pressure her.
I also have to totally disagree with the word "needed" here, no one knows the kind of pain she is in whether it is minor or not, sure most of us are in the same boat and or caregivers but we don't know her pain in specific, we are just going by what doctors and textbooks tell us about what an average person would feel, not the individual

Ginny_B

dogbackwards said:

Its a metter of
It's a matter of opinion, if a person doesn't want to take pain pills then they won't, and the pain isn't that bad. If the pain was horrible and unbearable she would be taking the pills wether she likes it or not. I'm sorry to be so blunt about it but it's true. Also, if the pain receptors keep getting blocked and or numbed by drugs like ibuprofein her body might eventually get used to these numbing effects and when the pain/if the pain gets worse her body will be resistant to the effects of pain relievers such as morphine. In my opinion, and I'm no doctor whatsoever,I think she should take the pills on her own. If the pain gets to that point she will take them, until then don't pressure her.
I also have to totally disagree with the word "needed" here, no one knows the kind of pain she is in whether it is minor or not, sure most of us are in the same boat and or caregivers but we don't know her pain in specific, we are just going by what doctors and textbooks tell us about what an average person would feel, not the individual

My feeling about pain in
My feeling about pain in this regard is that if she is in pain she won't eat. If she won't eat she'll get weaker. I think her mental outlook on pain pills is what is stopping her. She's the type of person who won't use the phone because "it's long distance". She doesn't like feeling woozy, but if she takes the pill and can eat, the woozy feeling will diminish.

I think it's a good idea for the doctor to tell her to take at the pills so she can eat. (She believes everyone but me.)

I also think that she should do whatever she wants to do and/or not do whatever she doesn't want to do. I seem to be on a thin line of do I want her to take the pills for herself or for me (so I don't see her in pain).

Further, I think that when the pain because intolerable, she will take a pill on her own. Maybe the right thing to do is to encourage her, explain the reasons to her, and then respect HER decision. It will be hard though.

Thanks for the opinions on this.

LilChemoSmoker

Ginny_B said:

My feeling about pain in
My feeling about pain in this regard is that if she is in pain she won't eat. If she won't eat she'll get weaker. I think her mental outlook on pain pills is what is stopping her. She's the type of person who won't use the phone because "it's long distance". She doesn't like feeling woozy, but if she takes the pill and can eat, the woozy feeling will diminish.

I think it's a good idea for the doctor to tell her to take at the pills so she can eat. (She believes everyone but me.)

I also think that she should do whatever she wants to do and/or not do whatever she doesn't want to do. I seem to be on a thin line of do I want her to take the pills for herself or for me (so I don't see her in pain).

Further, I think that when the pain because intolerable, she will take a pill on her own. Maybe the right thing to do is to encourage her, explain the reasons to her, and then respect HER decision. It will be hard though.

Thanks for the opinions on this.

You hit the nail on the head Ginny
Well put Ginny: "Maybe the right thing to do is to encourage her, explain the reasons to her, and respect HER decision."
Prayers for the both of you!
Michelle

dogbackwards

LilChemoSmoker said:

You hit the nail on the head Ginny
Well put Ginny: "Maybe the right thing to do is to encourage her, explain the reasons to her, and respect HER decision."
Prayers for the both of you!
Michelle

500000% agreed
I totally agree with your quote that you took from Ginny, that is what I was trying to say. Well put and I wish you all the best

Ginny_B

dogbackwards said:

500000% agreed
I totally agree with your quote that you took from Ginny, that is what I was trying to say. Well put and I wish you all the best

That quote is all well and
That quote is all well and good, but I'm so used to giving orders and people just do it. It will be hard for me to unselfish, but I think that that will be the best thing. Help her, but let her decide.

Change Subject...

Mom said that she is sure the cancer has spread because she feels strange pain in other parts of her body. I just responded that we will find out shortly and that we'll deal with whatever comes at us. She did take her pain meds, but still had tremendous pain after eating. She was talking to my brother when the pain hit and she had to hang up. So I said, "So Tony is making you sick!?!" to which she laughed and said she guessed so. At least for the present time we are laughing.

So back to the spreading cancer pain... can one feel when it spreads?

Mom has an uncanny ability to predict things. I never doubt her. I also feel it has spread simply by how bleak medical staff seems to act - or maybe they are merely super concerned because of her age and that she's blind and so frail.

dogbackwards

Ginny_B said:

That quote is all well and
That quote is all well and good, but I'm so used to giving orders and people just do it. It will be hard for me to unselfish, but I think that that will be the best thing. Help her, but let her decide.

Change Subject...

Mom said that she is sure the cancer has spread because she feels strange pain in other parts of her body. I just responded that we will find out shortly and that we'll deal with whatever comes at us. She did take her pain meds, but still had tremendous pain after eating. She was talking to my brother when the pain hit and she had to hang up. So I said, "So Tony is making you sick!?!" to which she laughed and said she guessed so. At least for the present time we are laughing.

So back to the spreading cancer pain... can one feel when it spreads?

Mom has an uncanny ability to predict things. I never doubt her. I also feel it has spread simply by how bleak medical staff seems to act - or maybe they are merely super concerned because of her age and that she's blind and so frail.

Pain
Pain can be totally unrelated to metastasis. For example a person can have a bad day and have a headache and have a primary carcinoma in the lung. Can that mean that the cancer has spread? Sure it can but then again it could be for totally unrelated reasons like having a bad day having high blood preasure, etc. So far according to what you have said the results are unknown until monday so there is no way for her to know if it spread, those pains can be totally unrelated. Also, where are these pains occuring because EC can spread anywhere in the body but most usually to the liver, lungs, and bone. There can also be other sites but not as frekwently. Don't be so certain that is spread, and if it has god forbid, there are treatment options available. The most important part right now is to find out the stage which will happen onMonday. I wish you the best.

P.S the medical staff knows exactly what you know at this point about the spread of the disease, - nothing until the results come back. Sure cancer causes pain but just be pateint for now.

chemosmoker

Ginny_B said:

That quote is all well and
That quote is all well and good, but I'm so used to giving orders and people just do it. It will be hard for me to unselfish, but I think that that will be the best thing. Help her, but let her decide.

Change Subject...

Mom said that she is sure the cancer has spread because she feels strange pain in other parts of her body. I just responded that we will find out shortly and that we'll deal with whatever comes at us. She did take her pain meds, but still had tremendous pain after eating. She was talking to my brother when the pain hit and she had to hang up. So I said, "So Tony is making you sick!?!" to which she laughed and said she guessed so. At least for the present time we are laughing.

So back to the spreading cancer pain... can one feel when it spreads?

Mom has an uncanny ability to predict things. I never doubt her. I also feel it has spread simply by how bleak medical staff seems to act - or maybe they are merely super concerned because of her age and that she's blind and so frail.

Yes you can...
Ginny,
Yes many of us can and have been able to FEEL when the cancer has spread, and have had "new" pain in the area of the spread. Liver is one, as are the kidneys. I have read many a post and spoken to many patients, myself included, that are not only aware that their cancer has spread, and have had pain crop up in those areas, but also, what you said about you moms uncanny ability to "know" is a powerful thing. I know many people who have this ability. My Grandma knew when I had been hurt in a wreck and called my mother from four states away to ask what was wrong with me, before my mom had even been called by the hospital.

I would not put TOO much energy OR worry into this until you have the test results in.
Just take it a day at a time and hang in there. You are doing great!

We are ALL here for you.
God bless,
-Eric

chemosmoker

dogbackwards said:

Its a metter of
It's a matter of opinion, if a person doesn't want to take pain pills then they won't, and the pain isn't that bad. If the pain was horrible and unbearable she would be taking the pills wether she likes it or not. I'm sorry to be so blunt about it but it's true. Also, if the pain receptors keep getting blocked and or numbed by drugs like ibuprofein her body might eventually get used to these numbing effects and when the pain/if the pain gets worse her body will be resistant to the effects of pain relievers such as morphine. In my opinion, and I'm no doctor whatsoever,I think she should take the pills on her own. If the pain gets to that point she will take them, until then don't pressure her.
I also have to totally disagree with the word "needed" here, no one knows the kind of pain she is in whether it is minor or not, sure most of us are in the same boat and or caregivers but we don't know her pain in specific, we are just going by what doctors and textbooks tell us about what an average person would feel, not the individual

Morphine tolerance and Ibuprofen...
I just felt the need to say, just on case ANYONE might be mislead by this misinformation, but there is absolutely ZERO connection between ibuprofen and Morphine. The pain receptors in the brain do not function this way with any connection between these two drugs.

Tolerance is a normal thing, and the doctors, hospice nurses, and pain management specialists, whom we have worked with extensively now, all know well how to handle this tolerance issue and adjust the doses accordingly.

But to compare morphine to ibuprofen is akin to comparing cancer to a head cold. I just needed to say this in case anyone new here reads this and got confused. We need facts in fighting this horrible disease.

On a side note, MOST if not ALL gastric, esophageal and stomach cancer patients are advised never to take NSIAD'S such as Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, etc. in the first place, once diagnosed, as they can causes thinning of the blood and additional blood loss, which is common with these types of cancers and their tumors. One of the very first things that my oncologist and pain management doctor informed us about was to AVOID any Aspirin or Ibuprofen as they will cause bleeding and further blood loss and anemia. I have had issues with all of these.

May God bless all of you in your journey, we are ALL in this together.

-Eric