Any recurrent stats? Or info?

swood9008

my mom was diagnosed 1/15 with stage 2 Anal cancer treated with standard protocol. She was doing well until 2/17 we found out she had a recurrent Anal Cancer, she was treated 5/17 with an apr colostomy and has her struggles but overall doing well. She had a petscan July of this year and it was clear her dr seemed shocked as he said there isn’t much research on survival rates for recurrent anal cancer. I hope all of you who remEr me are doing well! my mom is happy she had a knee replacement in June and is doing great! She also expressed to me today that she almost can’t move on because the dr was so shocked, and didnt have much to say about the future

eihtak

swood9008....

Hi, 

I'm glad your moms most recent scan was clear, that is good news!

Myself, I never pay a whole lot of attention to stats (cancer or otherwise) because they are so easily skewed and only good if gathered large scale from people with identical related factors, which in humans is impossible to have. And yes, your doctor is correct in that there is to date only minimal data on recurrant anal cancer, likely because it is still considered somewhat rare in the first place so to have information on those with a recurrance or mets is even more so. I expect that will be changing in the near future as the diagnosis of anal cancer rises. 

All that being said...I was initially dx in 2011, then dx with a recurrance as mets to my lung in 2015, and recently this summer with a second met to my lung. Data can be recorded as recurrant to original area as well as mets to another organ, so again, another factor to consider in the stats. I recently finished a course of radiation to the lung area and am now awaiting a scan in mid October to help to decide the next best step. I feel just fine really, and both lung mets (the first was treated with surgery and chemo) were found on routine follow-up scans with no symptoms that would otherwise have led me to be concerned.

I feel like my future is unknown as well, but isn't that true of everyone? I do what I can to be healthy, eat well, exercise, and spend good times with friends and family doing things that bring both myself and them joy. The rest (I 've learned to take the easy way out) and pass the buck to the hand of God! So much is happening in the field of cancer research these days and my philosophy is to hang in there because it seems that every year there is another new therapy or treatment and I plan to be in the best possible condition to benefit from that!

Your mom will be in my thoughts and prayers for peace and encouragement as she moves forward.

katheryn

mp327

swood9008

I'm so glad to hear you're mom is doing so well!

Ohmy

Katheryn,. Thank you for your

Katheryn,. Thank you for your words of wisdom.  I have learned to live in the moment.  Many years ago a friend of mine told me she had terminal cancer.  I told her we are all terminal and no one knows how long they have left.  I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.  That is not meant to be morbid.  We must enjoy every day.  Looking forward to my next PET scan in October.  Swood9008....I studied statistics in college and it is basically a scientific guess.  I don't pay much attention to statistics.

Kim Gaia

eihtak said:

swood9008....

Hi, 

I'm glad your moms most recent scan was clear, that is good news!

Myself, I never pay a whole lot of attention to stats (cancer or otherwise) because they are so easily skewed and only good if gathered large scale from people with identical related factors, which in humans is impossible to have. And yes, your doctor is correct in that there is to date only minimal data on recurrant anal cancer, likely because it is still considered somewhat rare in the first place so to have information on those with a recurrance or mets is even more so. I expect that will be changing in the near future as the diagnosis of anal cancer rises. 

All that being said...I was initially dx in 2011, then dx with a recurrance as mets to my lung in 2015, and recently this summer with a second met to my lung. Data can be recorded as recurrant to original area as well as mets to another organ, so again, another factor to consider in the stats. I recently finished a course of radiation to the lung area and am now awaiting a scan in mid October to help to decide the next best step. I feel just fine really, and both lung mets (the first was treated with surgery and chemo) were found on routine follow-up scans with no symptoms that would otherwise have led me to be concerned.

I feel like my future is unknown as well, but isn't that true of everyone? I do what I can to be healthy, eat well, exercise, and spend good times with friends and family doing things that bring both myself and them joy. The rest (I 've learned to take the easy way out) and pass the buck to the hand of God! So much is happening in the field of cancer research these days and my philosophy is to hang in there because it seems that every year there is another new therapy or treatment and I plan to be in the best possible condition to benefit from that!

Your mom will be in my thoughts and prayers for peace and encouragement as she moves forward.

katheryn

Thanks katheryn! Your words

Thanks katheryn! Your words were really helpful to me. And you too, swood9008! Your mom's story is inspirational and gives us all hope.

katheryn, i sure appreciate what you said about cancer stats and odds. I was not given great odds of my treatment (standard protocol) for AC being curative. And although I am a positive and optimistic and strong-minded person, those numerals uttered by my rad-onc have weighed on me ever since. When really they shouldn't. We are all individuals. No one can predict with any accuracy whether this treatment will or won't be effective for me. There are just so many factors and variables.

I am now 5 weeks post-treatment, and will be going back to rad-onc (a new rad-onc) for my first physical exam in mid-october, around the same time you are getting your next scan, katheryn. wishing the best for both of us! and everyone else on this forum.

kim