Survivors of Risky Surgery - need support/feedback

tor1624
tor1624 Member Posts: 6
in Esophageal Cancer #1
My uncle is having surgery tomorrow morning and is T3N1MO - Squamous cell. The first few times that he was in the hospital with complications, they told him surgery was not an option because the placement of the tumor was in too tough a spot. They tried a different type of chemo to shrink it some but had no effect. He recently had a meeting w/ his surgeon again (Dr. David Jablons @ UCSF, who I think is supposed to be pretty good) who finally said this is the best and only option now, even after not being a candidate for surgery for a long time, if anything the tumor grew and his situation got worse. I am concerned about this, but also relieved that something more dramatic is being done than just trying more chemo combinations and having even more time pass and suffering.

Has anyone w/ Stage 3 or 4 had a very risky surgery and has any feedback? He's a strong man, and has always been of good health and has handled chemo better than the average person I would say.

I appreciate the support. Thank you.

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #2
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • DanaMB3
    DanaMB3 Member Posts: 98
    #3
    I can't comment on the tumor
    I can't comment on the tumor being too tough of a spot, since that is not something my dad was ever told, but otherwise my dad's situation sounds similar to your uncles. My dad was T3N1M0 and his chemo/radiation did not shrink his tumor either. He was also told his tumor actually grew a little bit throughout his treatment based on the pre-surgery CT scan. When he went through the surgery, the surgeon said that the tumor actually had not grown, but rather it appeared larger on the scan due to inflammation from the radiation. In a nutshell, he his surgeon started with an MIE but ended up having to open him up to the Ivor Lewis. He did great through the surgery and recovery, felt pain for several weeks and then had a lot of aching for several week after that. I believe he still feels a little bit of aching to this day (His surgery was in April of this year), but otherwise is doing great!
    I hope that helps a little bit, feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Best of luck to your uncle through his surgery and recovery.
  • pevanko47
    pevanko47 Member Posts: 2
    #4
    DanaMB3 said:

    I can't comment on the tumor
    I can't comment on the tumor being too tough of a spot, since that is not something my dad was ever told, but otherwise my dad's situation sounds similar to your uncles. My dad was T3N1M0 and his chemo/radiation did not shrink his tumor either. He was also told his tumor actually grew a little bit throughout his treatment based on the pre-surgery CT scan. When he went through the surgery, the surgeon said that the tumor actually had not grown, but rather it appeared larger on the scan due to inflammation from the radiation. In a nutshell, he his surgeon started with an MIE but ended up having to open him up to the Ivor Lewis. He did great through the surgery and recovery, felt pain for several weeks and then had a lot of aching for several week after that. I believe he still feels a little bit of aching to this day (His surgery was in April of this year), but otherwise is doing great!
    I hope that helps a little bit, feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Best of luck to your uncle through his surgery and recovery.

    stage 3 esophageal cancer
    I am going on 6 years as an esophageal cancer survivor. The Cleveland Clinic has a great 4th Angel Program of which I am a mentor.
  • pevanko47
    pevanko47 Member Posts: 2
    #5
    Stage 3 Squamous cell
    I had that exact surgery at Cleveland Clinic on March 1st of 2006. My surgeon, Dr. Thomas Rice performed it and I can tell you pretty much what to expect. I'm also a 4th Angel at the Cleveland Clinic and I talk with esophageal cancer patients frequently. If you want more information, e-mail me at pevanko47@aol.com

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