Drs Say Mom Has Couple Months After Stage 4 Peritoneal Cancer Diagnosis - Opinions Please

sawyersmomma
sawyersmomma Member Posts: 1
in Peritoneal Cancer #1

My mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Peritoneal Cancer in October 2012, she did three months of chemotherapy then had major surgery to remove her uterus, ovaries, and her fatty tissue in her abdomen.  She followed that with three more months of chemo.  After all of that, her bloodwork looked great, we were told she went into remission.  August 2013 the cancer reappeared after her numbers sky rocketed.  She started doing another chemotherapy that didn't have a lot of side effects and allowed her to still live a somewhat "normal" life.  She was in good hopes and spirits about everything until her numbers started to double and triple again.  

She met with the doctor last Monday after two PET and CAT scans and the doctor told her it has now spread to her lymph nodes and if she didn't do any sort of treatment she only had a couple of months to live.  But then he said he didn't know what treatment to persue.  Obviously nothing is going to work and cure this cancer - we know and understand that.  But she's not ready to give up yet and I'm just trying to look for opinions on treatments and other possible avenues that I can explore for her.

Any suggestions that you might be able to give me so I can look into them, I would greatly appreciate it.  I'm at a loss and I'm not ready to lose my mom yet.

Comments

  • Nflinchum
    Nflinchum Member Posts: 75
    #2
    PPC stage 4 also

    Hi,

    sorry to hear about your mom. It's sounds a lot like myself. I was diagnosed in 2011 . I had a major surgery followed by 9 aggressive chemo treatments of carboplatin, taxol and avastin (6 treatments of this drug). I supposedly went in remission in August 2012. My CA's were 48. Then they gradually started rising and by January 2013 they were over 100. After several CT scans and a PET scan and a abdominal wash out they found cancer cells. In May 2013 they treated me with carboplatins for three treatments with little response . By this time my CA's were 4075 more than triple what they were before I had my big surgery. In October 2013 my Dr got me in a clinical trial of doxil and trial drug AMG386. After 4 doxil treatments and weekly treatments of AMG and 2 CT scans, I am responding and my CA's are 997. I agree with you about nothing is going to work for long. You have to continuously stay on chemo to live a little longer. Then the chemo does so much to you that can't live a normal life but I am happy to still be alive. I hope this helps you somewhat. Any more questions please let me know. Good luck to your mom.

    nadine

  • seatown
    seatown Member Posts: 261 Member
    #3
    Hope you can find some more help.

    So very sorry to hear about your mom. Don't have any advice for you, but have my own experience to share. I was diagnosed with PPC in July 2012 & have been taking chemotherapy of one sort or another most of the time since. Just wanted to say--when I was originally diagnosed at Stage IV, it was reported that there was some abdominal lymph node involvement. But after several months of chemo--Carboplatin & Taxol at the time--they said lymph node involvement was gone. My point is--just because it's in the lymph nodes, maybe that doesn't mean they can do nothing.  

    At one point someone on my medical team also said to me, "We don't know what to do with you," meaning that because PPC is so rare they had limited experience. FWIW, in a few days I'm going for a 2nd opinion--not because I'm unhappy with my present doctors, but just because I want to be sure I've done as much as I can to explore all possibilities.

    All my best wishes. If you're interested, I've written about details of my PPC journey at www.CaringBridge.org/visit/CaroleSeaton

Discussion Boards