esopfageal cancer stade III-IV

ustinia
ustinia Member Posts: 1
in Esophageal Cancer #1

My brother(32years) was diagnosted with esofhageal cancer 3 weeks before. He was operated and sufered a full reconstruction of the esophag and the superior part of the stomac was also cut. We are from Romania and the chances for life they give are unknowned they recomended the chemio-radio post-operative but without the guarantee that he will survive i need information about the rezults of the chemo-radio terapy in his case. He had also some limpfatic ganglions affected. Macroscopic the doctor cleaned the affected area but inside we dont know what is left. He dind”t have methastasis.

He has chances but with a good treatement, we wait informations and suggestion!

Comments

  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,392 Member
    #2
    There is always hope with effective treatment

    The treatment approach that your brother received is a bit different than the standard treatment approach for stage III esophageal cancer in the United States.

    The normal approach in the US would be several weeks of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, followed by a series of radiological scans to determine the effectiveness of the chemotherapy and radiation therapy. If a “positive response” was received from that phase of treatment; in other words the cancer was greatly reduced and no metastasis, (spread of the cancer to other major organs or distant lymph nodes), a surgical procedure would be completed. The surgery would remove the affected portion of the esophagus, part of the stomach, and adjacent lymph nodes. A medical examination of the removed tissue would be done to search for any cancer cell activity in the areas adjacent to the primary cancer tumor and lymph nodes removed. If active cancer cells were identified in the tissue samples removed, follow up chemotherapy would be recommended.

     It sounds like; in your brother’s case, surgery was done in advance of any chemotherapy or radiation therapy. It sounds like his doctors are recommending follow up chemotherapy to insure any cancer cells still left in his body are destroyed. Is there any “pathology based” indication that some cancer still may remain? Were there cancer cells found in any of the tissue that was removed?

    My personal experience was; that an examination of the tissue removed as part of my surgery indicated that there were some cancer cells on one of the lymph nodes. As a result, my doctors recommended that I complete 18 weeks of chemotherapy to increase my chances of survival. Many doctors will tell you that there is no clear evidence that chemotherapy after surgery increases the chances of long term survival; but I wanted to be sure that I had done everything I could to eliminate the cancer from my system.

    Your brother is very young to have esophageal cancer. If I were him I would want to insure I had done all I could to improve my chances of survival. Chemotherapy after surgery is difficult so I would want some pathology based indication that follow up treatment was indicated. 

    You will find many people here who have survived the type of cancer your brother has. Some of us did chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy after surgery.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams

    McCormick, South Carolina

    DX 10/2009 T2N1M0  Stage IIB - Ivor Lewis Surgery  12/3/2009 - Post Surgery Chemotherapy 2/2009 – 6/2009

    Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU - Three Year Survivor

     

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