What specialist is in charge?

oldbeauty

Hello all,

I am a migrant from the Uterine Cancer board. Following a screening colonoscopy I was found to have an invasive moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma in my ascending colon. It is a new primary cancer, not a metastatis of UC.

I will be having further diagnostic imaging done soon, and I know that surgery is ahead. My question is who's in charge afterward? Is it the gastroenterologist, or the surgical oncologist? And if it turns out that immunotherapy is possible, who analyzes that, the surgeon or a medical oncologist?

I really would appreciate some direction at this early stage. I am a hands-on, question -asking self-advocating cancer patient. I need to know who the players are here.

Thank you for any guidance or tips the community here would care to provide.

Best wishes to all,

Oldbeauty

littlex

Hi Oldbeauty, I'm sorry you are dealing with yet another cancer. My wife was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer in 2013, she had 60% of her kidney removed. It had not spread outside the kidney. She didn't get any additional treatments except the surgery. It's 10 1/2 years since the surgery and she still have check ups with her Surgeon. Now it's every 2 years, she has just a CT scan. She asked when we went last month, if she can break up with him now, he laughed, and said no I like to follow up with my patients. I'll see you in two years.

Good luck I wish you the best

oldbeauty

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1711387#Comment_1711387

Thank you, littlex. That is kind of you. Best wishes to you and your wife. Oldbeauty

Trubrit

Hello and welcome to the Colorectal forum.

I can't even imagine - well, a teensy teensy bit - what it must be like to be diagnosed with a secondary Caner. It was bad enough getting the news that my Cancer had spread; so my heart goes out to you.

I don't KNOW the answer to your question, but I would THINK it might be your Oncologist. When my CRC spread to my liver, I was off to the liver surgeon, but once the surgery was over, back to the my Oncologist.

It is wonderful to hear that you are an active part of your own health. No point in being a shrinking violet, when it comes to life changing, life saving decisions.

I am hoping to become more active on the forum - though I am still heartily disappointed in the new layout, and miss my old buddies, who feel the same way - in 2024.

I am a living testament that Stage IV can be controlled. I won't say beat. I can't say I beat it. That doesn't sit well with me, but I am surviving, and I feel that I owe it to others who come here, to share my 'wealth' of experience. HA! That sure makes me sound full of it. I'm not. I just want to help. Help other see a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long their tunnel is.

I hope to see you here again, with updates on how you are doing.

Tru

oldbeauty

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1711427#Comment_1711427

Thank you, Trubrit, for the generous welcome.

I have a CT and 2 surgical consults coming up. Provided it's confined to the colon, I expect to have surgery around mid-January; otherwise, I'll be referred for chemo or something first. The gastoenterologist, and others, have told me the surgeon drives the bus now. Yes, it is quite a shock to have a second primary while the first is ongoing (though in remission as of last March). I am trying to wrap my head around it all.

I will ask more questions as I know more about my Dx and prognosis and Tx options.

Thanks again, and holiday greetings. Best wishes, Oldbeauty

bibliophile

Oldbeauty, I am relatively newer to the board and I know this is an older post, but just wanted to check in how you are doing? I am curious as to the answer you found in the past two years to the question "who drives the bus?" as I am asking similar questions right now. One week ago was my third mCRC surgery, and I have found that the surgeons drive the bus when you are prepping for surgery, but then control goes back to the medical oncologist (my GI only consults for my yearly colonoscopies). Right now I am also trying to figure out how to balance ongoing appointments with my local oncologist and my Mayo oncologist (where I had my latest surgery). I know from reading your profile that you have an interesting case with two primary cancers and would love to hear your experiences with balancing medical teams over the last few years. Thanks. I hope you are doing well!

Axel7

Hello oldbeuty, I had a Oncologyst a Radiologist and a Colorectal Surgeon, I havent seen the radiologist since treatment ended, I continue to see the Surgeon, though now it is just once a year. the Oncologist I see every 6 months and get CT scanned and blood testing done. I would say the Oncologist is the main one. Hope this answers your question.