New

Graham Dyck

Just new at this. Have stage 1 anal cancer, nothing in the lymph nodes. One surgeon suggest i have an colostomy, another suggest I have the tumor remove, 5% chance of it returning. No rad/chemo was suggested. The more I read the more ways there seems to be to deal with the same problem. Feed back would be nice . Thanks Graham

 

TraceyUSA

Welcome Graham

I'm sorry for the reasons that bring you here.  Although colostomy sounds a little radical for stage 1, I would seek the opinion of doctor/surgeon who specializes in anal cancer.  Ultimately, the decision is yours and you need to do what you are most comfortable with.

mp327

Hi Graham

Welcome here, but I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis.  I was diagnosed with Stage 1/Stage 2 (right on the line between the two) back in 2008.  Colostomy was never mentioned as being necessary and I received the standard protocol of chemo/radiation (2 rounds of chemo, 6 weeks of radiation).  Nearly 7 1/2 years later, I'm still here and doing well.  I have no idea why a doctor would recommend radical surgery in your case for a colostomy.  With no lymph node involvement or spread to distant organs (such as liver or lungs), it seems drastic.  I would certainly not agree to it.  On the flip side, just having surgery to remove the tumor may not be enough.  Cancer cells can be sneaky and spread to the surrounding area, which is why radiation is the recommended treatment.  It not only zaps the tumor, but includes the entire pelvic area, so that any rogue cells will be killed as well.  The chemo is given to increase the effectiveness of the radiation by making the cancer cells weaker and more responsive to the radiation.  It is a protocol with a proven track record and is very effective.  In Stage 1 anal cancer, the survival rate after 5 years is 85% when this treatment has been given.  Yes, there are side effects during treatment, and there are even long-term side effects for some of us (including me, but nothing that keeps me from living a normal life).

If I were in your shoes, I would seek another opinion.  Please register on the website for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network--www.NCCN.org  After a short registration, you will have access to lots of information about anal cancer, including the latest protocol for staging, treatment and follow-up for anal cancer.  I would suggest thoroughly reading this to become familiar with it and having this information in hand when you go to the doctor.  Keep in mind that many doctors, due to the rare nature of anal cancer (only about 7,000 cases diagnosed per year), are not well-versed on treatment guidelines.  Becoming educated about this disease will help you get connected with a doctor who knows how to appropriately treat this disease.

I wish you all the very best and hope you'll keep us posted on how things proceed for you.  I am not a doctor, but I feel that the standard protocol would be the logical treatment in your case.  

Graham Dyck

TraceyUSA said:

Welcome Graham

I'm sorry for the reasons that bring you here.  Although colostomy sounds a little radical for stage 1, I would seek the opinion of doctor/surgeon who specializes in anal cancer.  Ultimately, the decision is yours and you need to do what you are most comfortable with.

anal cancer

Thanks for your response, one surgeon did suggest removing just the tumor. No rad/chemo was mention. Maybe he is waiting to see what the tumor looks like. Thanks for your in put.

mp327

Graham Dyck said:

anal cancer

Thanks for your response, one surgeon did suggest removing just the tumor. No rad/chemo was mention. Maybe he is waiting to see what the tumor looks like. Thanks for your in put.

Graham

The NCCN guidelines were just updated and now indicate that local excision of T1 N0 tumors may be adequate in well-differentied tumors, meaning there is a clear line of definition between the cancer cells and the normal cells when microscopically examined by a pathologist.  What you need to find out is if your tumor was well, moderately or poorly differentiated.  The newest version of guidelines do indicate that local excision may be done with no chemo/radiation with close monitoring.  I am sorry that when I made my previous response, I did not have this latest information, which has been changed from the previous document.  I urge you to download these guidelines, review them, and discuss them with your doctors.

Martha 

nonichol

Welcome Graham, you will find

Welcome Graham, you will find great info here.