Silly question- how long does it take for chemo to shrink tumorrs?

Josie60

As I mentioned a few days ago I had a positive biopsy on clavical nodes. . I had a pet scan today and back to oncology Wednesday. An uneducated peek at the image on the computer might have shown additional hot spots in the abdomin. At this point I anticipate that Chemo only will be offered. So I was curious if there was a typical time frame for possible shrinkage of the tumors. It feels like one of the neck rumors is pressing on the throat.

paul61

I hate to use the "it varies by treatment and patient" but......
As much as I hate to use the old "it varies by patient" in the three years I have been a part of this forum it appears that some folks experience tumor shrinkage very quickly and some seem to take longer. I hope some of the folks that were having trouble swallowing post their experiences but each person is different.

I am hoping at your appointment tomorrow your oncologist can suggest some short term plans and some longer term. I know in my case they did three rounds of chemo and then did at CT scan to see how things were going. In my case they were happy with what they saw but I assume if they were not, then they would have changed the treatment protocol.

I will be sending positive thoughts your way for tomorrow.

Best Regards,

Paul Adams
Grand Blanc, Michigan

DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
Two year survivor

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!