Collapsed Ascending Colon/Tumor on pancreas tail and spleen

Ellemay

Hi, My 81 year old mother has stage 4 colon cancer. She finished 12 rounds of treatment and most things shrunk and some went away. The nodules in her lungs grew a tiny bit so they won’t give her radiation. She has a 4 cm tumor on her pancreas tail and spleen which might even go onto her stomach a little bit. We met with the doctor Friday about her most recent CT, and he was very positive that she is doing great. She is going on zeloda. We got the written CT report over the weekend and see the tumor on the spleen is about the same. The report also says she has a collapsed ascending colon. The doctor and tumor board have gone over the report but didn’t mention either of these things to us. We love her doctor so assume there is nothing to worry about even though collapsed colon sounds bad to me. Also, we wonder what does a tumor on the spleen and pancreas tail mean? My mom doesn’t like to ask a lot of questions because she wants to keep her positive outlook so we can’t ask too many harder questions in front of her. She seems to be doing fine. Any thoughts on the collapse ascending colon and tumor? Thank you!

beaumontdave

Hi and welcome. I have no experience with a collapsed colon nor tumor on the tail of the pancreas, though I've done the chemo and had mets spread to my liver. My wife, with her glioma [concurrent to my CRC]didn't ask questions either, she preferred keeping positive, as well. I did the questioning to the side, when possible, and all the reading I could. Everyone should have an advocate, with them, to hear the hard things and listen carefully. My guess is everything pivots on the chemo treatments and her response. My pop got CRC at 80 and handled things fine at stage 2, 3 weeks before my diagnosis. That your mom is doing fine, and keeping a positive thought, is a big thing worth protecting, as best you can. Keep digging for answers, and treatments, and let her enjoy the day. Staying in the moment, as much as possible was a big QOL point for me and my wife, to get through what we had to, and still find joy in the little things life offers. Best of luck to you and your mom........................Dave

Ellemay

Thank you! I’m so sorry to hear about your wife. You have had a rough journey. I’m thankful your cancer is gone. Wishing you continued good health!