stage iv survivors?

124»

Comments

  • peterz54
    peterz54 Member Posts: 341
    #62
    Doc_Hawk said:

    Liver Resection
    Hi Peter, do you know why some patients are eligible to liver resections and others not? I've been told that I'm not a candidate but was only told that it would not fix the problem. My sister even offered a transplant, but my Oncologist said that it wouldn't work for me.

    I've printed out the graph that was linked, but I was diagnosed in 2011, does anyone have any up dated stats?

    eligibility for resection
    you might want to check into the work by Yuman Fong at MSKCC. he developed a clinical scoring system which can be used to help determiine suitability for resection of liver mets.
    the scoring system uses these criteria: nodal status of primary, disease-free interval
    from the primary to discovery of liver metastases <12 months, number
    of tumors >1, preoperative CEA level >200 ng/ml, and size of the
    largest tumor >5 cm.

    2010 paper by Fong is titled: Use of Clinical Score to Stage and Predict Outcome of
    Hepatic Resection of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer


    keep in mind that if a person is not a candiate for surgery at time of diagnosis, then chemo may be used to shrink tumors to the point where surgery becomes and option.
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #63
    peterz54 said:

    chance for NED
    druidshadow, people do go NED. you may want to check into the work done by Yuman Fong at MSKCC on clinical scoring of mcrc patients as a tool to help predict suitability for resection (this has to do with liver mets). there is quite a bit published in terms of studies related to surgical intervention for mCRC patients.

    MSKCC
    It's a great facility with many talented doctors/oncologists who work there.
  • Minnesotagirl
    Minnesotagirl Member Posts: 141
    #64
    How are you doing John
    Hi John,

    I was reading this post about Stage 4 survivors and statistics. Alot of information to process ~ some information I like and other information concerns me. I will not comment about statistics but I will comment on the mountain you are climbing in this journey. I pray for you daily along with many others on this board. I truly believe only God knows when our time is up ~ whether we are Stage 2, Stage 3 or Stage 4. We must make good choices along the way...seek the best hospital, surgeons and oncologists to help our jounney, take care of our bodies through nutrition and exercise, surround ourselves with postive behavior and energy... but in the end, only the Lord above knows when our time will come...

    A Minnesota hug and prayer coming your way~

    "Minnie"
  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    #65
    smokeyjoe said:

    I have a question, I don't
    I have a question, I don't quite understand. With Stage 1V they will do liver resection with "curative intent".....why is it if you have mets elsewhere they don't consider that as curative??

    The Science
    Is there to support curative intent for liver surgery. For other organs the end result does not have the data to back it up.

    That said, the liver data supports the hypothesis that single organ involvement can be treated surgically and be curative.

    Regrettably, surgeons often have enormous egos, and sometimes do more harm than good. For a cancer example of this look up the history of the radical mastectomy and its use with breast cancer. For decades Women were put through a torturous and debilitating surgery because surgeons refused to submit their work to the scientific method.
  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    #66
    smokeyjoe said:

    I have a question, I don't
    I have a question, I don't quite understand. With Stage 1V they will do liver resection with "curative intent".....why is it if you have mets elsewhere they don't consider that as curative??

    *

    *
  • Doc_Hawk
    Doc_Hawk Member Posts: 685
    #67
    PhillieG said:

    Hi Doc
    A question. Where are you going for treatment?
    There was someone how posted how Thier Onc said they could not do anything to help his liver. Indirected them to my Onc, dr. Kemeny at Sloan Kettering in NYC who looked at his scans etc, and she believes that he can be helped by having a HAI pump therapy, something she's pioneered.
    Not for nothing, it might be worth a call. Many people are under her care and are around years later and cancer free.
    -phil

    Hey Phil
    Sorry for the late reply, I just got back from vacation. I was first diagnosed and treated at Northern Arizona Oncology in Flagstaff Arizona. After I moved to Utah, I started going to Northern Utah Oncology and Hematology, which is an offshoot of the Huntsman Clinic. My liver is riddled with tumors and I do have two in my right lung as well.

    Ray
  • Doc_Hawk
    Doc_Hawk Member Posts: 685
    #68
    Buckwirth said:

    hey Doc,
    Welcome to the board. Do you happen to have any more info on that fishing retreat?

    Blake

    Fishing
    Hi Blake,

    Thanks for the greeting! I have the info available and will post it tomorrow after I find it. Sorry for the late reply, but I just got back from my big road trip and it was a blast!

    Doc Ray
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #69
    Doc_Hawk said:

    Hey Phil
    Sorry for the late reply, I just got back from vacation. I was first diagnosed and treated at Northern Arizona Oncology in Flagstaff Arizona. After I moved to Utah, I started going to Northern Utah Oncology and Hematology, which is an offshoot of the Huntsman Clinic. My liver is riddled with tumors and I do have two in my right lung as well.

    Ray

    Hi Ray
    Hope you had a great vacation...
    I do know of about a half dozen people with a similar scenario as you with numerous liver mets. I was one of them. There are treatments out there. The HAI pump is an effective one even though some oncs will say differently. Possibly they don't know enough about it.
    It's worth looking into IMO
    -phil
    Man, I just re-read my post. I love my iPad but it makes up words if you're not careful.

    There's a great site called damnyouautocorrect.com that has funny iPad/iPhone mistakes...
  • pluckey
    pluckey Member Posts: 484 Member
    #70
    Doc_Hawk said:

    Liver Resection
    Hi Peter, do you know why some patients are eligible to liver resections and others not? I've been told that I'm not a candidate but was only told that it would not fix the problem. My sister even offered a transplant, but my Oncologist said that it wouldn't work for me.

    I've printed out the graph that was linked, but I was diagnosed in 2011, does anyone have any up dated stats?

    search Sloan Kettering Site
    search Sloan Kettering Site for Dr. Yuman Fong. He has a presentation online about the increase in liver resectability over the years. He did my liver resection.

    As far as what makes someone resectable or not - My understanding is that it is a combo of objective and subjective factors. The number of tumors, the location of those tumors, what other cancer is currently in the body, and the overall health of the patient. Can the patient withstand the surgery and subsequent recovery.

    My original surgeon told me, when I asked "Why can't you do the liver resection on me?" Responded "It's not a matter of can i do it, it is SHOULD I do the surgery". I did not undertand that comment at all. looking back, I think she felt I wasn't strong enough to handel the surgery. I had just recovered from another hospitlization0 bowel obstruction. I was 90 lbs and looked like death. She reversed my ileostomy. THAT was a turning point, as I began to stop having so much chemo/ileo diarreah and started gaining weight and getting stronger. So when I went to Sloan for 2nd opinion, Dr Fong saw me stronger and able to handle the surgery.

Discussion Boards