Another newly diagnosed

o2bnsf
o2bnsf Member Posts: 19
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hello, my husband has been diagnosed with T3 N2 MO EC. We have just started treatment with the university of Penn with daily Proton Therapy and 5FUin a 24/7 pump with oxaliplatin in an IV every two week for 2 hours.

Surgery in Jan if all goes well.

Comments

  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,392 Member
    #2
    Welcome to our group
    I just wanted to post a welcome to our group. It looks like your husband is staged as Stage III and therefore a candidate for surgery. That is great. People here have found that a tri-modal form of treatment including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery has the best chance of long term remission.

    Chemotherapy and radiation has it's challenges, so be sure to come back here often with questions about side effects. There are many things that can ease the difficulties.

    I hope things go well with your husband's initial treatment and surgery is planned.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    Two year survivor

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!
  • AngieD
    AngieD Member Posts: 493
    #3
    paul61 said:

    Welcome to our group
    I just wanted to post a welcome to our group. It looks like your husband is staged as Stage III and therefore a candidate for surgery. That is great. People here have found that a tri-modal form of treatment including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery has the best chance of long term remission.

    Chemotherapy and radiation has it's challenges, so be sure to come back here often with questions about side effects. There are many things that can ease the difficulties.

    I hope things go well with your husband's initial treatment and surgery is planned.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    Two year survivor

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

    Yes, welcome to our group
    Yes, welcome to our group that no one wants to join. My husband was diagnosed in June 2011 at Stage IV, so is not eligible for surgery. He did have Oxaliplatin and Xeloda (the oral form of F5U) with good results. Make sure your husband stays VERY well hydrated and stays away from cold things for a few days after the Oxaliplatin. We haven't heard too many reports on experience with Proton therapy, so I think many would be interested in hearing about that. I hope your husband's treatment plan works well and the surgery goes smoothly.
    Angie
  • o2bnsf
    o2bnsf Member Posts: 19
    #4
    paul61 said:

    Welcome to our group
    I just wanted to post a welcome to our group. It looks like your husband is staged as Stage III and therefore a candidate for surgery. That is great. People here have found that a tri-modal form of treatment including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery has the best chance of long term remission.

    Chemotherapy and radiation has it's challenges, so be sure to come back here often with questions about side effects. There are many things that can ease the difficulties.

    I hope things go well with your husband's initial treatment and surgery is planned.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams
    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
    12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
    2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
    Two year survivor

    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

    Another newly diagnosed
    Paul, thank you for your note. We will definetly participate with this group. I have read many posts and find it comforting to see how everyone tries to help each other

    Pat
  • o2bnsf
    o2bnsf Member Posts: 19
    #5
    AngieD said:

    Yes, welcome to our group
    Yes, welcome to our group that no one wants to join. My husband was diagnosed in June 2011 at Stage IV, so is not eligible for surgery. He did have Oxaliplatin and Xeloda (the oral form of F5U) with good results. Make sure your husband stays VERY well hydrated and stays away from cold things for a few days after the Oxaliplatin. We haven't heard too many reports on experience with Proton therapy, so I think many would be interested in hearing about that. I hope your husband's treatment plan works well and the surgery goes smoothly.
    Angie

    Proton therapy
    Angie, I had noticed there wasn't really many discussions on proton therapy. I will make sure we share our experience with the group.

    Pat
  • o2bnsf
    o2bnsf Member Posts: 19
    #6
    AngieD said:

    Yes, welcome to our group
    Yes, welcome to our group that no one wants to join. My husband was diagnosed in June 2011 at Stage IV, so is not eligible for surgery. He did have Oxaliplatin and Xeloda (the oral form of F5U) with good results. Make sure your husband stays VERY well hydrated and stays away from cold things for a few days after the Oxaliplatin. We haven't heard too many reports on experience with Proton therapy, so I think many would be interested in hearing about that. I hope your husband's treatment plan works well and the surgery goes smoothly.
    Angie

    Proton therapy
    Angie, I had noticed there wasn't really many discussions on proton therapy. I will make sure we share our experience with the group.

    Pat
  • LauraandLarry
    LauraandLarry Member Posts: 184
    #7
    Welcome
    We are fairly new to this site as well. My husband was diagnosed in September T3N1M0. This is a great place to compare stages of your journey and to answer questions. Good Luck to you.
  • FlorenceNightingale911
    FlorenceNightingale911 Member Posts: 8
    #8
    Sites that use the Proton Therapy Technique


    Hello there,

    Let me welcome you to the CSN site as others have done already. I have been observing this site for almost a year. Unfortunately, I have had a relative die from Esophageal Cancer Stage IV. Although I was not the “main caregiver”, I was able to help the family with information I gleaned from this and other reputable sights. Since I am not a doctor or a nurse, anything I say will be more in the form of helping out with research information I have already gleaned in the past. I am still an avid reader of medical articles from reputable organizations. I now feel the need to continue my own education since more and more people seem to be learning that they have Esophageal Cancer and I want to help when I can.

    In that regard, relative to questions about “PROTON THERAPY”, I have found sites that gives an explanation as to how Proton Therapy works. Another listing below gives sites available throughout the United States.

    They will be listed below my name. Needless to say I hope all the treatments will prove to be totally successful and that surgery will be totally successful as well.

    “Flo”
    ______

    http://www.proton-therapy.org/howit.htm



    “…There is a significant difference between standard (x-ray) radiation treatment and proton therapy. If given in sufficient doses, x-ray radiation techniques will control many cancers. But, because of the physician's inability to adequately conform the irradiation pattern to the cancer, healthy tissues may receive a similar dose and can be damaged. Consequently, a less- than-desired dose is frequently used to reduce damage to healthy tissues and avoid unwanted side effects. The power of protons is that higher doses of radiation can be used to control and manage cancer while significantly reducing damage to healthy tissue and vital organs….



    http://www.proton-therapy.org/

    This site gives the names of the centers currently operating and using Proton Therapy .
  • Bermudagirl
    Bermudagirl Member Posts: 114
    #9
    FlorenceNightingale911 said:

    Sites that use the Proton Therapy Technique


    Hello there,

    Let me welcome you to the CSN site as others have done already. I have been observing this site for almost a year. Unfortunately, I have had a relative die from Esophageal Cancer Stage IV. Although I was not the “main caregiver”, I was able to help the family with information I gleaned from this and other reputable sights. Since I am not a doctor or a nurse, anything I say will be more in the form of helping out with research information I have already gleaned in the past. I am still an avid reader of medical articles from reputable organizations. I now feel the need to continue my own education since more and more people seem to be learning that they have Esophageal Cancer and I want to help when I can.

    In that regard, relative to questions about “PROTON THERAPY”, I have found sites that gives an explanation as to how Proton Therapy works. Another listing below gives sites available throughout the United States.

    They will be listed below my name. Needless to say I hope all the treatments will prove to be totally successful and that surgery will be totally successful as well.

    “Flo”
    ______

    http://www.proton-therapy.org/howit.htm



    “…There is a significant difference between standard (x-ray) radiation treatment and proton therapy. If given in sufficient doses, x-ray radiation techniques will control many cancers. But, because of the physician's inability to adequately conform the irradiation pattern to the cancer, healthy tissues may receive a similar dose and can be damaged. Consequently, a less- than-desired dose is frequently used to reduce damage to healthy tissues and avoid unwanted side effects. The power of protons is that higher doses of radiation can be used to control and manage cancer while significantly reducing damage to healthy tissue and vital organs….



    http://www.proton-therapy.org/

    This site gives the names of the centers currently operating and using Proton Therapy .

    Just wanted to let you know
    Just wanted to let you know that my "significant other", Dave, went through that same regimen at Hopkins this summer, and his path report at surgery was almost complete response. The 5fu, oxaliplatin, and daily radiation works! :) He had the THE on October 8th, but is one of the incredibly rare patients whose stomach could not be used for surgery, so had to use the colon, and then he got and still has, every complication in the book. He's hanging in there, and we are optimistic that he'll turn the corner soon, but the surgery does have risks... Hang in there, know that the treatment does work, and odds are you'll have a succesful surgery!

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