Another question....

gizzyluv
gizzyluv Member Posts: 143
in Colorectal Cancer #1

I have yet another question, & I may have already asked it but can't remember......Has anyone here had Stage 4 Colon Cancer & were told that surgery wasn't an option because of the size of the tumor or how much it may have spread, only to take chemo treatments which shrunk the tumor enough to be able to have the surgery after all?

Comments

  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #2
    Yes

    They told me up front, I would NEVER qualify for surgery.  I had a liver/colon/ureter  resections done 10 months after that.  I was turned down by two cancer boards, but my onc having faith sent me to amother onc who talked separately to three surgeons and they all said yes.  That surgery has given me so far two extra years (I was given 4 to 6 months with chemo originally) and no chance of surgery.

    Winter Marie

  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #3
    herdizziness said:

    Yes

    They told me up front, I would NEVER qualify for surgery.  I had a liver/colon/ureter  resections done 10 months after that.  I was turned down by two cancer boards, but my onc having faith sent me to amother onc who talked separately to three surgeons and they all said yes.  That surgery has given me so far two extra years (I was given 4 to 6 months with chemo originally) and no chance of surgery.

    Winter Marie

    It would all depend on where

    It would all depend on where the spread is.     Some with spread to liver can become resectable.   I have mets in other places and apparently surgery will not help me,  as my onc. puts it, in the fat between the bowel loops.   So far chemo. is the only option given to me for this.  I did have a colon resection and hysterectomy originally, so the main tumor in my colon is gone,  and I've had a colonoscopy and it was completely normal.....it's the other spread that is continuing to give me grief.  

  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #4
    herdizziness said:

    Yes

    They told me up front, I would NEVER qualify for surgery.  I had a liver/colon/ureter  resections done 10 months after that.  I was turned down by two cancer boards, but my onc having faith sent me to amother onc who talked separately to three surgeons and they all said yes.  That surgery has given me so far two extra years (I was given 4 to 6 months with chemo originally) and no chance of surgery.

    Winter Marie

    Right ovary, kidney, lungs, liver colon ureter

    Those were all the places that tumors showed up that the cancer had spread to, not just liver for me, still got surgery In 2010,

    Last fall had cancer show up again, thorax (two tumors) lung, liver, colon and somewhere near the uterus, but they can't seem to figure where exactly it is, not in uterus.  Getting my second resection on May 23rd.

    Winter Marir

  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    #5
    herdizziness said:

    Right ovary, kidney, lungs, liver colon ureter

    Those were all the places that tumors showed up that the cancer had spread to, not just liver for me, still got surgery In 2010,

    Last fall had cancer show up again, thorax (two tumors) lung, liver, colon and somewhere near the uterus, but they can't seem to figure where exactly it is, not in uterus.  Getting my second resection on May 23rd.

    Winter Marir

    Hi Winter. Hope I'm not
    Hi Winter. Hope I'm not being too nosy. What kind of surgery are they doing on the 23rd? Just a liver resection or other areas as well?

    Chelsea
  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #6
    Chelsea71 said:

    Hi Winter. Hope I'm not
    Hi Winter. Hope I'm not being too nosy. What kind of surgery are they doing on the 23rd? Just a liver resection or other areas as well?

    Chelsea

    Chelsea

    Just a liver resection and he said he would poke around and see if he saw anything else he should take out.  Looks like May 23rd, not sure until scheduler calls on Monday.

    Winter Marie

  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #7
    Yes

    I was initially inoperable due to the location of one of my liver tumors. It was right on my hepatic artery. The good news was my Onc had a plan which made sense to me and I followed it. After 5 months of Avastin the main problem tumor shrunk enough so I became operable.

    My first Onc gave me no hope, he just wanted to operate first with no plan for trying to cure me. Thankfully I got a second opinion and we've always had getting rid of my disease as the goal. She never told me that this couldn't be done and has always had other options if needed.

    I know this isn't how things always go and I know I've been fortunate to have her as my Onc. Plus, I've  responded well to treatments. My outlook has always been someone has to be in the group that responds to treatments. Why not me?

Discussion Boards