Stage IV Esophageal Inoperable
I was diagnosed with Stage IV esophageal adenocarcinoma at the Gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) 6 weeks ago. I have a 4cm tumor at the GEJ, and extensive (distant) metastasis throughout my lymphatic system - primarily in my abdomen and lower chest. Fortunately, I am receiving world-class treatment from a terrific oncologist In the NY / CT area. That said, this cancer is absolutely inoperable, nor is radiation an option. It was a fluke that I picked it up by a CT scan, as initially we thought we were treating a urinary tract / minor kidney infection. Of course, the PET and endoscopy confirmed the very unfortunate news. Today, my esophagus is 75% of its normal diameter, and I am only having minor swallowing difficulty, which I manage by chewing my food well and drinking with every bite. I am also HER-2 negative. I am going to my third chemo treatment tomorrow, which consists of 7 medicines: Taxotere, Carboplatin, 5FU, Leucovorin, Kytril, Benadryl and Decadron. I also take Zantac daily, and Dexamethasone the night before my weekly infusions. I take Tramadol with Advil 3 times a day to manage the pain caused by the swollen lymph nodes. That’s working remarkably well for now. Fortunately also, the main side effect of the chemo / cancer is fatigue, as I need a daily nap, and am sleeping 10 hours a day (vs. 7.5 normally). Untreated, I was told I had ~ 6 months by another less exceptional oncologist. Extensive research on my own indicates that the median survival rate for my diagnosis and very limited treatment options is ~ 14 - 16 months. My current oncologist, predictably :-) is unwilling to speculate on my potential life span. Of course, I am expeditiously “getting my affairs in order.” My own research also indicates that the only “second line“ drug that may be beneficial at some point is Keytruda (via trial), but that is only showing a 17% durable response (not impressive if you’re part of the 83% who don’t respond). Judging by the tone and substance of posts I’ve read here, folks are generally very kind, compassionate and as helpful as they can be. I am in a pretty positive / hopeful frame of mind generally, but I am also realistic about things, which means that my medical outlook is pretty darned poor. I guess my question is this: might anyone have any medical / treatment insight that may be helpful given my diagnosis / treatment plan? Thank you.
Comments
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Hello
Hello Rtbatch,
You seem to be very much on top of things with your care, which is the most important thing you can do. Unfortunately, as you've noticed, EC wins a lot of fights. That doesn't mean there's no hope, though. I was stage III my 1st go-around with EC and was stage IV (recurrence in a lung) the 2nd time. My doctor told me that, "from where you are, most people live about 7-8 months, some a couple of months more, some a couple of months less, but figure on 7-8 months. And one or two people have had a complete response and are living their lives." She didn't offer 1 or 2% hope, she said one or two people total. That was 2011. I'm still here and testing clean. My path out was herceptin which had recently been approved for stage IV EC. That won't be your path as you are HER2 negative, but maybe it'll be Keytruda. 17% is a much better shot than I was given and I'm 6 years in remission. My doctor says she never uses the word "cured" for stage IV, but last year she did use the word "remission", and I'll take it.
I hope you find a workable path out from under your grim prognosis. Please be the next one to beat this SOB. Stay strong and never quit.
Ed
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13 rounds of chemo for me and receiving #14 as I type this.
I'm not sure of your age, Im 38, but I'm in the same boat as you. Diagnosed stage IV on August 24th, one big tumor right above the GE junction and another in my mid esophagus. A thin band of growing tissue connecting the two, my esophagus was over 70% blocked. It didn't spread to any organs that they can tell, but at least 8 lymph nodes all around my chest and abdomen. Remarkably I could still eat whatever I wanted with a bit of forcing, though it was starting to get quite painful. I could distintly feel both tumors for well over 2 months before diagnosis.
Like you I was not offered surgery or radiation, It had already spread too far. I was offered chemo and immunotherapy: atezolizumab, oxaliplatin, leucovorin, 5fu, initially I was given steroids for anti-nausea, those were pulled due to them possibly interfering with atezolizumab. I now take eloxi and emend prior to treatment, and 2 different anti nausea pills (only need them for 3 days or so after treatment. ) Today is my first treatment where they have stopped oxaliplatin, Neuropathy in hands and feet is suddenly getting a lot worse. May bring it back at a reduced dose if those symptoms subside.
Things looked pretty grim back in August, I had one set of lymph nodes in my upper chest swelled up literally bigger than a golf ball, it literally had my trachea and esophagus slightly bent. The stuff was literally getting ready to explode and spread to all of my organs.
3 sets of scans since beginning treatment (Early November, Late Dec, and 2 weeks ago), the total mass of the cancer has decreased by half or more at every scan. I only have 1 infected lymph node left, the one that was literally golf ball sized, and it is now miniscule in size even compared to some of the other ones that were infected.
After only 2 treatments, the swallowing problem was nearly gone, and the tumors were barely visible on my first follow-up scan .
I was given no prognosis from the beginning, but my Outlook was "pretty darned poor" as well. It is now possible that I may have a complete response by sometime this summer.
I firmly believe that diet and exercise are key in fighting this, you will find out very quickly that chemo after time ends up being way worse than the cancer ever was. I thought I was going to be a warrior at this after 10 rounds, but rounds 11 to 13 brought me back to reality. Still though, I am handling it remarkably well for someone who was a dead man walking back in August.
If you are able to exercise, even walking short distances and working your way up, by all means, do it. Your body will thank you later. Also a well balanced, healthy diet.
I am a realist and borderline pessimist myself, but remember that doctors are trained to throw statistics at people. I was told that in my case maybe a 40% to 50% total response rate was about the best I could hope for. I saw that after only 4 treatments, and I have more than beaten statistics so far.
One thing you may want to look into is taking Tylenol instead of Advil. Most chemo to the best of my knowledge gets filtered through the kidneys, and so does Advil. Both of these together can wreak havoc on the kidneys of even the healthiest people. Tylonol gets filtered more through the liver instead, as long as yours is still healthy I would ask about that.
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Wishing you all the good luck1979bmg said:13 rounds of chemo for me and receiving #14 as I type this.
I'm not sure of your age, Im 38, but I'm in the same boat as you. Diagnosed stage IV on August 24th, one big tumor right above the GE junction and another in my mid esophagus. A thin band of growing tissue connecting the two, my esophagus was over 70% blocked. It didn't spread to any organs that they can tell, but at least 8 lymph nodes all around my chest and abdomen. Remarkably I could still eat whatever I wanted with a bit of forcing, though it was starting to get quite painful. I could distintly feel both tumors for well over 2 months before diagnosis.
Like you I was not offered surgery or radiation, It had already spread too far. I was offered chemo and immunotherapy: atezolizumab, oxaliplatin, leucovorin, 5fu, initially I was given steroids for anti-nausea, those were pulled due to them possibly interfering with atezolizumab. I now take eloxi and emend prior to treatment, and 2 different anti nausea pills (only need them for 3 days or so after treatment. ) Today is my first treatment where they have stopped oxaliplatin, Neuropathy in hands and feet is suddenly getting a lot worse. May bring it back at a reduced dose if those symptoms subside.
Things looked pretty grim back in August, I had one set of lymph nodes in my upper chest swelled up literally bigger than a golf ball, it literally had my trachea and esophagus slightly bent. The stuff was literally getting ready to explode and spread to all of my organs.
3 sets of scans since beginning treatment (Early November, Late Dec, and 2 weeks ago), the total mass of the cancer has decreased by half or more at every scan. I only have 1 infected lymph node left, the one that was literally golf ball sized, and it is now miniscule in size even compared to some of the other ones that were infected.
After only 2 treatments, the swallowing problem was nearly gone, and the tumors were barely visible on my first follow-up scan .
I was given no prognosis from the beginning, but my Outlook was "pretty darned poor" as well. It is now possible that I may have a complete response by sometime this summer.
I firmly believe that diet and exercise are key in fighting this, you will find out very quickly that chemo after time ends up being way worse than the cancer ever was. I thought I was going to be a warrior at this after 10 rounds, but rounds 11 to 13 brought me back to reality. Still though, I am handling it remarkably well for someone who was a dead man walking back in August.
If you are able to exercise, even walking short distances and working your way up, by all means, do it. Your body will thank you later. Also a well balanced, healthy diet.
I am a realist and borderline pessimist myself, but remember that doctors are trained to throw statistics at people. I was told that in my case maybe a 40% to 50% total response rate was about the best I could hope for. I saw that after only 4 treatments, and I have more than beaten statistics so far.
One thing you may want to look into is taking Tylenol instead of Advil. Most chemo to the best of my knowledge gets filtered through the kidneys, and so does Advil. Both of these together can wreak havoc on the kidneys of even the healthiest people. Tylonol gets filtered more through the liver instead, as long as yours is still healthy I would ask about that.
Its really good to see the response for chemo . Am praying you will get complete response and with atezolizumab you will have lot more many many years to live cancer free .
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Sorry to hear but do not give up
Rtbatch , Am sorry to hear . I see you have docetxel , carboplatin & 5Fu - there is high chance that you have complete remission on this so not sure why are you thinking of second line now . Also not sure if you have started naturopathy ( i know some don't believe ) but there is no harm . My wife started taking 5 cups of carrot juice , Aloe vera + turmeric on empty stomach in mornings , Green defense , Astragalus root , Basel juice , tumermic + curcumin since a month . her chemo is not yet started but her swallowing didn't get worse and we are glad for that , prior to starting these her situation deteriaoted week on week . These may not cure but they have strong abilities to slow the spread and may be could help in delaying reoccurrence . Good luck !!
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Hello1979bmg said:13 rounds of chemo for me and receiving #14 as I type this.
I'm not sure of your age, Im 38, but I'm in the same boat as you. Diagnosed stage IV on August 24th, one big tumor right above the GE junction and another in my mid esophagus. A thin band of growing tissue connecting the two, my esophagus was over 70% blocked. It didn't spread to any organs that they can tell, but at least 8 lymph nodes all around my chest and abdomen. Remarkably I could still eat whatever I wanted with a bit of forcing, though it was starting to get quite painful. I could distintly feel both tumors for well over 2 months before diagnosis.
Like you I was not offered surgery or radiation, It had already spread too far. I was offered chemo and immunotherapy: atezolizumab, oxaliplatin, leucovorin, 5fu, initially I was given steroids for anti-nausea, those were pulled due to them possibly interfering with atezolizumab. I now take eloxi and emend prior to treatment, and 2 different anti nausea pills (only need them for 3 days or so after treatment. ) Today is my first treatment where they have stopped oxaliplatin, Neuropathy in hands and feet is suddenly getting a lot worse. May bring it back at a reduced dose if those symptoms subside.
Things looked pretty grim back in August, I had one set of lymph nodes in my upper chest swelled up literally bigger than a golf ball, it literally had my trachea and esophagus slightly bent. The stuff was literally getting ready to explode and spread to all of my organs.
3 sets of scans since beginning treatment (Early November, Late Dec, and 2 weeks ago), the total mass of the cancer has decreased by half or more at every scan. I only have 1 infected lymph node left, the one that was literally golf ball sized, and it is now miniscule in size even compared to some of the other ones that were infected.
After only 2 treatments, the swallowing problem was nearly gone, and the tumors were barely visible on my first follow-up scan .
I was given no prognosis from the beginning, but my Outlook was "pretty darned poor" as well. It is now possible that I may have a complete response by sometime this summer.
I firmly believe that diet and exercise are key in fighting this, you will find out very quickly that chemo after time ends up being way worse than the cancer ever was. I thought I was going to be a warrior at this after 10 rounds, but rounds 11 to 13 brought me back to reality. Still though, I am handling it remarkably well for someone who was a dead man walking back in August.
If you are able to exercise, even walking short distances and working your way up, by all means, do it. Your body will thank you later. Also a well balanced, healthy diet.
I am a realist and borderline pessimist myself, but remember that doctors are trained to throw statistics at people. I was told that in my case maybe a 40% to 50% total response rate was about the best I could hope for. I saw that after only 4 treatments, and I have more than beaten statistics so far.
One thing you may want to look into is taking Tylenol instead of Advil. Most chemo to the best of my knowledge gets filtered through the kidneys, and so does Advil. Both of these together can wreak havoc on the kidneys of even the healthiest people. Tylonol gets filtered more through the liver instead, as long as yours is still healthy I would ask about that.
Hello 1979bmg,
I am so happy to see your positive posts. Please be the next miracle. The world needs more.
Best wishes,
Ed
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Thank you - Your optimism is well warrantedDeathorglory said:Hello
Hello Rtbatch,
You seem to be very much on top of things with your care, which is the most important thing you can do. Unfortunately, as you've noticed, EC wins a lot of fights. That doesn't mean there's no hope, though. I was stage III my 1st go-around with EC and was stage IV (recurrence in a lung) the 2nd time. My doctor told me that, "from where you are, most people live about 7-8 months, some a couple of months more, some a couple of months less, but figure on 7-8 months. And one or two people have had a complete response and are living their lives." She didn't offer 1 or 2% hope, she said one or two people total. That was 2011. I'm still here and testing clean. My path out was herceptin which had recently been approved for stage IV EC. That won't be your path as you are HER2 negative, but maybe it'll be Keytruda. 17% is a much better shot than I was given and I'm 6 years in remission. My doctor says she never uses the word "cured" for stage IV, but last year she did use the word "remission", and I'll take it.
I hope you find a workable path out from under your grim prognosis. Please be the next one to beat this SOB. Stay strong and never quit.
Ed
Ed,
Thank you for sharing your story, and blessedly, your relative “success” in fighting this monster. After reading a ton of research, I came to the same conclusion as my doctor, “...after reading about 5 of the reports I stopped, because they all say about the same thing.“ The bottom line is this, where I am, treatment is palliative, and chemo buys you 2 to 3 times the amount of time you would have without chemo - which is 6 - 8 months. The median overall survival rate with chemo is 12 -14 months. Of course “median” means that half live longer and half live less long. I certainly want to believe I am one of the curve breakers. It appears you are. God bless that you are still fighting the good fight after so much time. God willing, I’ll be writing five years hence, but I don’t think so. I am 62 and they diagnosed mine much later (stage) than yours. My bucket list planning horizon therefore extends out 14 months. Everything I am doing is centered around that assumption. I have a great plan I am executing with my loved ones...
That said, the lymphatic system in my abdomen and chest is very lit up with this evil, which is why it is inoperable an irradiable. This article seems to be the best benchmark available for getting the straight scoop. http://esmoopen.bmj.com/content/esmoopen/2/3/e000206.full.pdf Of course, my doc is saying not to be overly influenced by research, as each patient is different. And, of course, he is encouraging at every turn, because a positive state of mind is so important. Your optimism is well warranted. I’m not pessimistic, but rather pragmatic. I am hoping for the best, but I am walking right down the middle of the road, statistically speaking - which seems to be a relatively sane thing to do when faced with such an insane situation.
RB
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Thank you BMG1979bmg said:13 rounds of chemo for me and receiving #14 as I type this.
I'm not sure of your age, Im 38, but I'm in the same boat as you. Diagnosed stage IV on August 24th, one big tumor right above the GE junction and another in my mid esophagus. A thin band of growing tissue connecting the two, my esophagus was over 70% blocked. It didn't spread to any organs that they can tell, but at least 8 lymph nodes all around my chest and abdomen. Remarkably I could still eat whatever I wanted with a bit of forcing, though it was starting to get quite painful. I could distintly feel both tumors for well over 2 months before diagnosis.
Like you I was not offered surgery or radiation, It had already spread too far. I was offered chemo and immunotherapy: atezolizumab, oxaliplatin, leucovorin, 5fu, initially I was given steroids for anti-nausea, those were pulled due to them possibly interfering with atezolizumab. I now take eloxi and emend prior to treatment, and 2 different anti nausea pills (only need them for 3 days or so after treatment. ) Today is my first treatment where they have stopped oxaliplatin, Neuropathy in hands and feet is suddenly getting a lot worse. May bring it back at a reduced dose if those symptoms subside.
Things looked pretty grim back in August, I had one set of lymph nodes in my upper chest swelled up literally bigger than a golf ball, it literally had my trachea and esophagus slightly bent. The stuff was literally getting ready to explode and spread to all of my organs.
3 sets of scans since beginning treatment (Early November, Late Dec, and 2 weeks ago), the total mass of the cancer has decreased by half or more at every scan. I only have 1 infected lymph node left, the one that was literally golf ball sized, and it is now miniscule in size even compared to some of the other ones that were infected.
After only 2 treatments, the swallowing problem was nearly gone, and the tumors were barely visible on my first follow-up scan .
I was given no prognosis from the beginning, but my Outlook was "pretty darned poor" as well. It is now possible that I may have a complete response by sometime this summer.
I firmly believe that diet and exercise are key in fighting this, you will find out very quickly that chemo after time ends up being way worse than the cancer ever was. I thought I was going to be a warrior at this after 10 rounds, but rounds 11 to 13 brought me back to reality. Still though, I am handling it remarkably well for someone who was a dead man walking back in August.
If you are able to exercise, even walking short distances and working your way up, by all means, do it. Your body will thank you later. Also a well balanced, healthy diet.
I am a realist and borderline pessimist myself, but remember that doctors are trained to throw statistics at people. I was told that in my case maybe a 40% to 50% total response rate was about the best I could hope for. I saw that after only 4 treatments, and I have more than beaten statistics so far.
One thing you may want to look into is taking Tylenol instead of Advil. Most chemo to the best of my knowledge gets filtered through the kidneys, and so does Advil. Both of these together can wreak havoc on the kidneys of even the healthiest people. Tylonol gets filtered more through the liver instead, as long as yours is still healthy I would ask about that.
I’m so happy to hear about the positive response. Would you mind telling me how long overall you’ve been on chemo? My first in-chemo scan will be mid-May, as I started mid-February. Fortunately, I don’t have the swallowing challenges you have as my disease is at the GEJ, and my esophagus is still 75% of its normal diameter. That said, my abdomen is very lit up with this stuff. Smaller bites, more chewing, plenty of water seem to work. Advil vs. Tylenol - tough call. Tylenol is liver toxic above 2400 mg a day. Tramadol and Advil 3 times a day keeps the pain at a 2.
So far I’m tolerating the chemo well, but I know its effects are cumulative. I need 9-10 hours of sleep a day, as the main side-effect is fatigue. Likely that’s a combination of the chemo and the disease. For me, I‘be drawn a pretty firm line in the sand. My first and foremost consideration is quality of life. If the chemo gets too crappy, then enough already. I will shut it down and leave myself wholly in God’s hands. No way I’m going to endure a treatment that is worse than the disease. Why, because my glass (life) is over 90% full. I’m only topping off what has been a well-lived life. Further, who am I to put a question mark where a God has put a period? Like you, I will be following a solid regimen of lifestyle changes - which I’m sure will be beneficial. BTW, I’m 62 In April. Thank you, and be of cheerful heart. RB
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Thank you Cindy...cindyrk23 said:Sorry to hear but do not give up
Rtbatch , Am sorry to hear . I see you have docetxel , carboplatin & 5Fu - there is high chance that you have complete remission on this so not sure why are you thinking of second line now . Also not sure if you have started naturopathy ( i know some don't believe ) but there is no harm . My wife started taking 5 cups of carrot juice , Aloe vera + turmeric on empty stomach in mornings , Green defense , Astragalus root , Basel juice , tumermic + curcumin since a month . her chemo is not yet started but her swallowing didn't get worse and we are glad for that , prior to starting these her situation deteriaoted week on week . These may not cure but they have strong abilities to slow the spread and may be could help in delaying reoccurrence . Good luck !!
Cindy...,
I am looking at naturopathic complements to the chemo. I have a cousin who is a nurse and who is very involved in “non-traditional“ medicine. I appreciate your optimism but I don’t think remission is in the cards for me, but of course, hope is preferable to pessimism...
Best wishes - RB
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Question to Cindy
Cindy,
Can you give more details about what your wife is doing as far as the naturopathic stuff? (More information about what she is drinking, measurements, how many times per day, etc.?). My mother is still waiting for test results to show the stage of her cancer, but I am interested in helping her fight this by nutrition as well as through conventional medicine once we get the diagnosis.
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RB,
RB,
I have been doing chemo since the beginning of September, every 2 weeks.
I am getting a little stir crazy and frustrated myself, the docs think that I should do it for the rest of my life to be safe. That is where I agree with you that qulaity of life comes into play. While I am still treating it initially, I agree with bombarding it with everything we can.
If I go into remission, I fear that I will clash with them about continuing treatment or the need to continue.
The study drug I am taking HAS to be given every two weeks, no exceptions. I have inquired about moving to a once every three week treatment if I reach a complete response, but there is no budging. I would hate to do treatment every two weeks for years and years, but at the same time I would hate to have to quit the study drug if that's what is working the most.
I am temporarily off of Oxaliplatin due to the side effects (namely fevers and bad neuropathy)...nasty, nasty stuff...They want everyone to get through at least 8 consecutive rounds of it...I did 13 and the day of treatment and 2 days following became downright brutal...I can go back onto it in the future short term if I need to.
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HiDeathorglory said:Hello
Hello Rtbatch,
You seem to be very much on top of things with your care, which is the most important thing you can do. Unfortunately, as you've noticed, EC wins a lot of fights. That doesn't mean there's no hope, though. I was stage III my 1st go-around with EC and was stage IV (recurrence in a lung) the 2nd time. My doctor told me that, "from where you are, most people live about 7-8 months, some a couple of months more, some a couple of months less, but figure on 7-8 months. And one or two people have had a complete response and are living their lives." She didn't offer 1 or 2% hope, she said one or two people total. That was 2011. I'm still here and testing clean. My path out was herceptin which had recently been approved for stage IV EC. That won't be your path as you are HER2 negative, but maybe it'll be Keytruda. 17% is a much better shot than I was given and I'm 6 years in remission. My doctor says she never uses the word "cured" for stage IV, but last year she did use the word "remission", and I'll take it.
I hope you find a workable path out from under your grim prognosis. Please be the next one to beat this SOB. Stay strong and never quit.
Ed
Hey Ed,
I saw your comment and your situations sounds really close to that of my dad's. He has stave IV EC and has spread to his lungs, the thing is tho a mass has grown in the throat (esophagus removed last year), which they found when he was doing his regular dialations. His situation is pretty severe but I still have hope. He has lost a lot of weight but is going to be reviewed to see if he can start treatment. Any suggestions you can give as it relates to diet and treatment options?
Daina
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Hello DainaDaina1997 said:Hi
Hey Ed,
I saw your comment and your situations sounds really close to that of my dad's. He has stave IV EC and has spread to his lungs, the thing is tho a mass has grown in the throat (esophagus removed last year), which they found when he was doing his regular dialations. His situation is pretty severe but I still have hope. He has lost a lot of weight but is going to be reviewed to see if he can start treatment. Any suggestions you can give as it relates to diet and treatment options?
Daina
Hello Daina,
Sorry to hear about your dad. EC is an awful thing. As far as diet goes, I was/am a bit of a maniac and wouldn't really suggest my choices as good options for others. There's a lot of information on this board from saner people, though, if you poke around. As far as treatment goes, the number one, most important thing to do is to go to a first quality cancer hospital. They are not all the same. Fully half of all doctors and hospitals are below average. That's just a mathematical law. It is of the highest priority to go to the other half. It may mean that there's some commuting or travel involved, but your dad is only going to get one shot at this, so he should do the things that give him the best chance to win. I actually drive directly past the front door of four hospitals on my way to my own cancer center. Two of them are university/teaching hospitals and a third is actually affiliated with my own hospital, but it is not the same. So I drive an hour each way to go to the best cancer center for my needs. My oncologist is world class and worth the commute to me.
I assume your dad has been tested to find his HER2 status. If he hasn't been tested, that's awful doctoring and he needs to be tested ASAP. There are still some folks who are on this board who haven't gotten tested until they've pressed for it. Make sure he's been tested because if he's positive there's a treatment that can be effective even against stage IV. That's why I'm still here 6+ years after being diagnosed stage IV.
Lastly, this board is a very good place to get first hand information from people who have been in the same boat. I'd suggest poking around. If you have questions, there are always people who will try to help you.
Best wishes to you and your dad,
Ed
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Oxali
BMG,
I am not on Oxi because I had a serious neurological problem (Trigeminal Neuralgia) that was treated by brain surgery. TN is a brutal, brutal affliction. My Dr. didn’t want to chance a flare-up, so he chose Carboplatin instead of Oxi. I’m tolerating weekly chemo reasonably well (fatigue, coldness, yucchy feeling overall, weird sleep pattern) but no dramatic side affects after 5 treatments. We’ll see how long that lasts. Next scan is mid-May. My hunch is it won’t be particularly good. That said, my doc thinks I am responding pretty well. Hoping for the best, but working down my bucket list...
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cindyrk23 said:
Sorry to hear but do not give up
Rtbatch , Am sorry to hear . I see you have docetxel , carboplatin & 5Fu - there is high chance that you have complete remission on this so not sure why are you thinking of second line now . Also not sure if you have started naturopathy ( i know some don't believe ) but there is no harm . My wife started taking 5 cups of carrot juice , Aloe vera + turmeric on empty stomach in mornings , Green defense , Astragalus root , Basel juice , tumermic + curcumin since a month . her chemo is not yet started but her swallowing didn't get worse and we are glad for that , prior to starting these her situation deteriaoted week on week . These may not cure but they have strong abilities to slow the spread and may be could help in delaying reoccurrence . Good luck !!
Cindy,
Remission, not likely I’m afraid. Maybe I’ll be microsatellite positive and be able to take Keytruda. That is a Hail Mary pass methinks. I’m generally positive, but unfailingly realistic. I have a family I have to provide for, for the long run. Hope, while good for the mind, is neither a strategy nor a medicine, I say that reluctantly. My motto, “Be of cheerful heart.”
Best wishes,
RB
0
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