Esophageal adenocarcinoma

iraklis1987

My father recently diagnosed with esophagus adenocarcinoma. Since he had history with barretts esophagus he found the adenocarcinoma in hes annual endoscopy (he had no symptoms). The doctor took samples from the cancer and it showed that it has good differentiated, he also did a endoscopic ultrasound and showed that the cancer is in the submucosa leaving the muscular layer unaffected. The ultrasound also showed the possiblity of 1 lumph node affected but he couldnt tell for sure because of its small size so we are waiting for the PET/CT to make sure.

The doctors said that if the lumph node is unaffected he must be immediately operated but if the lumph is affected he must do pre operative radiochemo therapy

Whats your opinion about the stage every doctor we visited said that its early stage and plus its good differention he is going to be okay after the surgery

PS sorry for my english

Brent_McG

Early detection

Hello,

I am sorry to hear of your father's diagnosis. Esophageal cancer is ugly in any stage. It does sound like it is in early stages which is definitely a plus. There is no concrete method of treatment that doctor's go by. It is primarly based on each patient's needs.

I am a esophageal cancer survivor who was first diagnosed on Feb 3rd, 2012 and had the Transhiatal Esophagectomy surgery on May 8th 2012. My cancer was also in the early stages. From the moment of diagnosis I immediately had 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. After the 6 weeks I was given a month off to recover from the damages of chemo and radiation so that my body would be strong enough for surgery. Then on May 8th I had my surgery.

My cancer was in the early stages and they did not know if it had spread to the lymph nodes until after surgery. During surgery the lymph nodes in my neck and chest were removed (which is standard operating proceedure) and sent to pathology to check for any signs of cancer. Luckily there were no signs of cancer in my lymph nodes. 

My tumor was bleeding pretty severely and causing me to lose too much blood. That is why chemo and radiation was done pre-op. The chemo and radiation shrank the tumor's size and also stopped it from bleeding. Then surgery removed it.

Your father's diagnosis is pretty similar to mine although chemo and radiation was done prior in my case regardless of spreading to the lymph nodes had occurred or not. I would say the doctor's are right on in their diagnosis and the prognosis for your father does look good. If the scan does show lymph nodes are affected and surgery is done immediately, then you have the benefit of having it taken care of ASAP. My opinion is to get the cancerous areas out of the body before they do spread to other areas of the body. 

The biggest part of esophageal cancer is making sure it hasn't spread. By removing the esophagus and surrounding lymph nodes, your father's chances are dramatically increased. Your father's cancer was found early and steps are being taken to deal with it ASAP. That is the best news you can have or hope for. 

Everyone is different and reacts different to treatments. I would say that the diagnosis and steps being taken in your father's case are right on the money. Based on the information you have provided I would aslo say your father should be okay whether they do pre-op chemo and radiation or do surgery then post-op treatment. Just consider the facts: dianosis was made early, disease hasn't spread, treatment is being sought, and plans are being made. These facts help shift the odds in your favor. 

Again my case was very very similar to your father's and I have been cancer free for a year and a half. I go back every 3 months for checkups and get scanned about twice a year. So far so good. I hope I have helped answer your questions.

Just remember to stay positive and strong. Your father has a long road ahead of him and support from others does wonders for recovery. If I can be of any more assistance feel free to ask

With regards,

Brent

 

 

 

wandalou

My cancer was found the same

My cancer was found the same way. I was having no symptons and went in for my annual scope.  I was told it was very small and possibly a Stage one, but it turned out to be stage two.  This was in May, 2012 and I had chemo and radiation for six weeks at the same time.  The test after chemo radiation showed I was clean, but my Dr. felt it best to go ahead and remove the esophagus.  This was done on 11/5/2012 and it was found that I still had cancer in my esophagus that the cope and CT scan did not pick up.  So it was a good thing the surgery was performed.  I am now a year post op and have had very little problems.  I went back to work full time on 1/1/2013.  I was 60 years at the time of the diagnosis. 

Good luck to your father.

 

iraklis1987

Brent_McG said:

Early detection

Hello,

I am sorry to hear of your father's diagnosis. Esophageal cancer is ugly in any stage. It does sound like it is in early stages which is definitely a plus. There is no concrete method of treatment that doctor's go by. It is primarly based on each patient's needs.

I am a esophageal cancer survivor who was first diagnosed on Feb 3rd, 2012 and had the Transhiatal Esophagectomy surgery on May 8th 2012. My cancer was also in the early stages. From the moment of diagnosis I immediately had 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. After the 6 weeks I was given a month off to recover from the damages of chemo and radiation so that my body would be strong enough for surgery. Then on May 8th I had my surgery.

My cancer was in the early stages and they did not know if it had spread to the lymph nodes until after surgery. During surgery the lymph nodes in my neck and chest were removed (which is standard operating proceedure) and sent to pathology to check for any signs of cancer. Luckily there were no signs of cancer in my lymph nodes. 

My tumor was bleeding pretty severely and causing me to lose too much blood. That is why chemo and radiation was done pre-op. The chemo and radiation shrank the tumor's size and also stopped it from bleeding. Then surgery removed it.

Your father's diagnosis is pretty similar to mine although chemo and radiation was done prior in my case regardless of spreading to the lymph nodes had occurred or not. I would say the doctor's are right on in their diagnosis and the prognosis for your father does look good. If the scan does show lymph nodes are affected and surgery is done immediately, then you have the benefit of having it taken care of ASAP. My opinion is to get the cancerous areas out of the body before they do spread to other areas of the body. 

The biggest part of esophageal cancer is making sure it hasn't spread. By removing the esophagus and surrounding lymph nodes, your father's chances are dramatically increased. Your father's cancer was found early and steps are being taken to deal with it ASAP. That is the best news you can have or hope for. 

Everyone is different and reacts different to treatments. I would say that the diagnosis and steps being taken in your father's case are right on the money. Based on the information you have provided I would aslo say your father should be okay whether they do pre-op chemo and radiation or do surgery then post-op treatment. Just consider the facts: dianosis was made early, disease hasn't spread, treatment is being sought, and plans are being made. These facts help shift the odds in your favor. 

Again my case was very very similar to your father's and I have been cancer free for a year and a half. I go back every 3 months for checkups and get scanned about twice a year. So far so good. I hope I have helped answer your questions.

Just remember to stay positive and strong. Your father has a long road ahead of him and support from others does wonders for recovery. If I can be of any more assistance feel free to ask

With regards,

Brent

 

 

 

What type of operation

Thank you for your kind answear and i am glad that you are okay. In what part of the esophagus was the cancer located and did the doctor remove all the esophagus or the dangerous part and connected the rest with the stomach ?

iraklis1987

wandalou said:

My cancer was found the same

My cancer was found the same way. I was having no symptons and went in for my annual scope.  I was told it was very small and possibly a Stage one, but it turned out to be stage two.  This was in May, 2012 and I had chemo and radiation for six weeks at the same time.  The test after chemo radiation showed I was clean, but my Dr. felt it best to go ahead and remove the esophagus.  This was done on 11/5/2012 and it was found that I still had cancer in my esophagus that the cope and CT scan did not pick up.  So it was a good thing the surgery was performed.  I am now a year post op and have had very little problems.  I went back to work full time on 1/1/2013.  I was 60 years at the time of the diagnosis. 

Good luck to your father.

 

Glad you are ok

I am happy that i hear two people replied with the same problem and are okay. I also want to ask in which part of the esophagus the cancer was and if the doctor removed the whole esophagus or the sick part and connected the rest with the stomach. Also since i read that you was in stage II did that mean that you had some lymph nodes affected too ?

Brent_McG

iraklis1987 said:

Glad you are ok

I am happy that i hear two people replied with the same problem and are okay. I also want to ask in which part of the esophagus the cancer was and if the doctor removed the whole esophagus or the sick part and connected the rest with the stomach. Also since i read that you was in stage II did that mean that you had some lymph nodes affected too ?

Lower esophagus

Mine was in the lower esophagus, as for exact placement I could not say. They removed my entire esophagus and part of my stomach. They took what was left of my stomach and formed that into a new esophagus of sorts.  So removal was entire esophagus and probably a 1/3 of my stomach. Now my stomach is in my upper chest. Mine was also stage 2 but no lymph nodes were affected. 

birdiequeen

Adenocarcinoma

My Husband was diagnosed in November 2010; stage one with the tumor in the lower Esophagus, after a bi-annual scope to watch his 11 year old barretts. He went straight to surgery in early December and removed the whole Esophagus. No post op chemo or radiation. He was off work for about 6 months. About a year after, they found cancer on his Kidneys; they suspected a return of his EC (Esophageal Cancer). So they did surgery (one kidney at a time) and found it was in fact Kidney Cancer and not a re-occurrence of EC. He has been working with clean scans (other than the known spot on his other kidney) ever since. He will have another round of scans this week. He has been doing so well I don't expect there will be any problems. I wanted to let you know a little about his journey since your father’s situation sounds similar, except my husband had no lymph nodes involved. It is a long journey but manageable. 

birdiequeen

birdiequeen said:

Adenocarcinoma

My Husband was diagnosed in November 2010; stage one with the tumor in the lower Esophagus, after a bi-annual scope to watch his 11 year old barretts. He went straight to surgery in early December and removed the whole Esophagus. No post op chemo or radiation. He was off work for about 6 months. About a year after, they found cancer on his Kidneys; they suspected a return of his EC (Esophageal Cancer). So they did surgery (one kidney at a time) and found it was in fact Kidney Cancer and not a re-occurrence of EC. He has been working with clean scans (other than the known spot on his other kidney) ever since. He will have another round of scans this week. He has been doing so well I don't expect there will be any problems. I wanted to let you know a little about his journey since your father’s situation sounds similar, except my husband had no lymph nodes involved. It is a long journey but manageable. 

This site

CSN was a lifesaver during his recovery, I visited every day.  I read more than contribute now. 

 

iraklis1987

birdiequeen said:

Adenocarcinoma

My Husband was diagnosed in November 2010; stage one with the tumor in the lower Esophagus, after a bi-annual scope to watch his 11 year old barretts. He went straight to surgery in early December and removed the whole Esophagus. No post op chemo or radiation. He was off work for about 6 months. About a year after, they found cancer on his Kidneys; they suspected a return of his EC (Esophageal Cancer). So they did surgery (one kidney at a time) and found it was in fact Kidney Cancer and not a re-occurrence of EC. He has been working with clean scans (other than the known spot on his other kidney) ever since. He will have another round of scans this week. He has been doing so well I don't expect there will be any problems. I wanted to let you know a little about his journey since your father’s situation sounds similar, except my husband had no lymph nodes involved. It is a long journey but manageable. 

sorry to hear that

Sorry to hear that your husband has in the kidneys now but at least its not metastatic(i think that its better to have new cancer than metastatic) + plus i hear that he is fighting also the cancer in the kidneys and he doest have bad news from the Esophageal. 

Tommorow my father will have his PET scan and the next day we will take the results hope everything goes fine.

iraklis1987

Brent_McG said:

Early detection

Hello,

I am sorry to hear of your father's diagnosis. Esophageal cancer is ugly in any stage. It does sound like it is in early stages which is definitely a plus. There is no concrete method of treatment that doctor's go by. It is primarly based on each patient's needs.

I am a esophageal cancer survivor who was first diagnosed on Feb 3rd, 2012 and had the Transhiatal Esophagectomy surgery on May 8th 2012. My cancer was also in the early stages. From the moment of diagnosis I immediately had 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. After the 6 weeks I was given a month off to recover from the damages of chemo and radiation so that my body would be strong enough for surgery. Then on May 8th I had my surgery.

My cancer was in the early stages and they did not know if it had spread to the lymph nodes until after surgery. During surgery the lymph nodes in my neck and chest were removed (which is standard operating proceedure) and sent to pathology to check for any signs of cancer. Luckily there were no signs of cancer in my lymph nodes. 

My tumor was bleeding pretty severely and causing me to lose too much blood. That is why chemo and radiation was done pre-op. The chemo and radiation shrank the tumor's size and also stopped it from bleeding. Then surgery removed it.

Your father's diagnosis is pretty similar to mine although chemo and radiation was done prior in my case regardless of spreading to the lymph nodes had occurred or not. I would say the doctor's are right on in their diagnosis and the prognosis for your father does look good. If the scan does show lymph nodes are affected and surgery is done immediately, then you have the benefit of having it taken care of ASAP. My opinion is to get the cancerous areas out of the body before they do spread to other areas of the body. 

The biggest part of esophageal cancer is making sure it hasn't spread. By removing the esophagus and surrounding lymph nodes, your father's chances are dramatically increased. Your father's cancer was found early and steps are being taken to deal with it ASAP. That is the best news you can have or hope for. 

Everyone is different and reacts different to treatments. I would say that the diagnosis and steps being taken in your father's case are right on the money. Based on the information you have provided I would aslo say your father should be okay whether they do pre-op chemo and radiation or do surgery then post-op treatment. Just consider the facts: dianosis was made early, disease hasn't spread, treatment is being sought, and plans are being made. These facts help shift the odds in your favor. 

Again my case was very very similar to your father's and I have been cancer free for a year and a half. I go back every 3 months for checkups and get scanned about twice a year. So far so good. I hope I have helped answer your questions.

Just remember to stay positive and strong. Your father has a long road ahead of him and support from others does wonders for recovery. If I can be of any more assistance feel free to ask

With regards,

Brent

 

 

 

How was the surgery recovery

How long did it take you to recover from surgery. I mean like when the pain stopped and if you had any serious problems like bleeding,vommit,diahrea. i think that the food problems can be easily managed but the phusical problems because of the surgery is the once that worries me .

iraklis1987

iraklis1987 said:

sorry to hear that

Sorry to hear that your husband has in the kidneys now but at least its not metastatic(i think that its better to have new cancer than metastatic) + plus i hear that he is fighting also the cancer in the kidneys and he doest have bad news from the Esophageal. 

Tommorow my father will have his PET scan and the next day we will take the results hope everything goes fine.

Good news

Today my father had his PET scan and showed that the suspicious lymph node actually was cancer free. I know that PET scan is around 91 % accurate.

That means that the cancer staging from StageIIB went down to stage IA.

Also we found one of the best syrgeons here in Greece, Dr Giannopoulow Panagiotis has around 2500 syrg's around the esophagys cancer, i think that he will do the right job !. The recommended aproach oh the syrgery is Ivor Lewis with two cuts. 1 in the belly and 1 near the throat. The doctor said that he will remove 1/3 of the esophagus and some of the stomach.

The actual cost of the surgery is around 26.000 euro but thats one of the best hospitals you can have.

 

Ill have more news in the following days

wandalou

iraklis1987 said:

Glad you are ok

I am happy that i hear two people replied with the same problem and are okay. I also want to ask in which part of the esophagus the cancer was and if the doctor removed the whole esophagus or the sick part and connected the rest with the stomach. Also since i read that you was in stage II did that mean that you had some lymph nodes affected too ?

Mine was lower esophagus and

Mine was lower esophagus and they removed my entire esophagus and also some of my stomach.  Then they pulled my stomach in my chest and made my new esophagus.  I did not have any lymph nodes affected.   If you have any more questions I will be glad to answer if I can. Good luck to you and hope things go well

Tkincaid2

Brent_McG said:

Early detection

Hello,

I am sorry to hear of your father's diagnosis. Esophageal cancer is ugly in any stage. It does sound like it is in early stages which is definitely a plus. There is no concrete method of treatment that doctor's go by. It is primarly based on each patient's needs.

I am a esophageal cancer survivor who was first diagnosed on Feb 3rd, 2012 and had the Transhiatal Esophagectomy surgery on May 8th 2012. My cancer was also in the early stages. From the moment of diagnosis I immediately had 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. After the 6 weeks I was given a month off to recover from the damages of chemo and radiation so that my body would be strong enough for surgery. Then on May 8th I had my surgery.

My cancer was in the early stages and they did not know if it had spread to the lymph nodes until after surgery. During surgery the lymph nodes in my neck and chest were removed (which is standard operating proceedure) and sent to pathology to check for any signs of cancer. Luckily there were no signs of cancer in my lymph nodes. 

My tumor was bleeding pretty severely and causing me to lose too much blood. That is why chemo and radiation was done pre-op. The chemo and radiation shrank the tumor's size and also stopped it from bleeding. Then surgery removed it.

Your father's diagnosis is pretty similar to mine although chemo and radiation was done prior in my case regardless of spreading to the lymph nodes had occurred or not. I would say the doctor's are right on in their diagnosis and the prognosis for your father does look good. If the scan does show lymph nodes are affected and surgery is done immediately, then you have the benefit of having it taken care of ASAP. My opinion is to get the cancerous areas out of the body before they do spread to other areas of the body. 

The biggest part of esophageal cancer is making sure it hasn't spread. By removing the esophagus and surrounding lymph nodes, your father's chances are dramatically increased. Your father's cancer was found early and steps are being taken to deal with it ASAP. That is the best news you can have or hope for. 

Everyone is different and reacts different to treatments. I would say that the diagnosis and steps being taken in your father's case are right on the money. Based on the information you have provided I would aslo say your father should be okay whether they do pre-op chemo and radiation or do surgery then post-op treatment. Just consider the facts: dianosis was made early, disease hasn't spread, treatment is being sought, and plans are being made. These facts help shift the odds in your favor. 

Again my case was very very similar to your father's and I have been cancer free for a year and a half. I go back every 3 months for checkups and get scanned about twice a year. So far so good. I hope I have helped answer your questions.

Just remember to stay positive and strong. Your father has a long road ahead of him and support from others does wonders for recovery. If I can be of any more assistance feel free to ask

With regards,

Brent

 

 

 

Esophageal cancer stage 2 - no lymph nodes

Hi..just reading through and saw your post. I was diagnosed with EG junction cancer on November 7. I just finished my first week of chemo and radiation. I was wondering if we had the same regimen... Cisplatin, 5FU and radiation. I tolerated the first week pretty well other than two days of nausea. Our plan is for six weeks of chemo/radiation, a month off and then surgery. Any tidbits of how you managed going through the chemo and radiation for the six weeks? My surgery is scheduled to be done at Duke Univ and  projected date is early March. Thank you so much for your post and for any Tricks of the trade that you can offer since you have already been there!!!!

iraklis1987

Tkincaid2 said:

Esophageal cancer stage 2 - no lymph nodes

Hi..just reading through and saw your post. I was diagnosed with EG junction cancer on November 7. I just finished my first week of chemo and radiation. I was wondering if we had the same regimen... Cisplatin, 5FU and radiation. I tolerated the first week pretty well other than two days of nausea. Our plan is for six weeks of chemo/radiation, a month off and then surgery. Any tidbits of how you managed going through the chemo and radiation for the six weeks? My surgery is scheduled to be done at Duke Univ and  projected date is early March. Thank you so much for your post and for any Tricks of the trade that you can offer since you have already been there!!!!

thanks for the reply

well since my father had his pet scan and it showed that his lymph nodes are clear he will go straight for the syrgery and leave the chemo after. Doctors said that the cancer stage is so early that we should go for the syrgery first and do a precaution chemo 1 month after the surgery.

pcs1453

My Dad Too

Your dad's situation sounds almost identical to my dads. My dad is 90 and they are going to start with radiation and oral chemo.  I haven't heard yet what the drug of choice will be.  There has been no discussion of surgery.  Probably due to his age.  He is in good health otherwise and walks daily.  I hate the thought of surgery.  I usually visit the colorectal board being a survivor, so, I knew I could find some good info here and good people.  Good luck to your dad.