Normal to take 2 1/2 mths before getting chemo ??

Went to two different surgeons, both had the same general opinion.  Check a bit with scans first to see if chemo needed before or if surgery was better.  The second doctor I felt more comfortable with, at MSK.  He had bloods drawn and a scan done before saying definately to go surgery first.  The whole time from my colonoscopy, which confirmed cancer, to schedule surgery was about 5 days.  Tentatively scheduled surgery, pending the tests at MSK, for 10 days later.  When tests came back a few days later, it was a go.  My surgery was somewhere around 14 days after pathology report from colonoscopy.

vtspa6 said:

opinions of other drs but all working on Tim's case

He will not have his tumor removed via surgery.  He will just be getting a colostomy bag so if the tumor grows more it will not block him up.  Dr plans on giving him chemo first and later see if it is best to have tumor surgically removed.  I guess why we are so upset is because the oncologist waited until last test results came back to verify his dxs. of stage 4 rectal cancer with mets to the lungs.  THEN thought it best to get him a colo bag before chemo starts.  Why couldn't the Dr decide to do this a mth ago while he was being tested?  Now we have to wait until this heals before he starts his treatments.  We were always under the impression that the Oncologist was the Dr that was the 'ring leader' with Tim's case.  All Drs did speak with each other to decide on different matters.  After he starts chemo we will be looking for different Drs around Pittsburg Cancer Center.

The choice of not to operate until tests returned with a positive indication of cancer was a wise choice. Abdominal surgery is tough. There are subsequent hernias and adhesions that too often follow abdominal surgery; why do it if the tumor is benign? It wasn't, so you move forward with whatever is usually required under the new circumstances.

I really can not stress more, the importance of consulting with a colorectal surgeon (two or more if possible) and get their opinion regarding this cancer.

Removing the tumor is important. It may mean a permanent colostomy, but it's usually the best route to go. An experienced surgeon will know what has to be removed; he will be able to see exactly the extent of cancer's involvement when he operates. A skilled colorectal surgeon can remove all of what he considers cancerous; chemicals and radiation can not. (I'm gonna' get hate mail for that one).

I may be off base here, but waiting to see if a tumor gets bigger would not be a viable option for me. If I have a tumor, I want it taken out/removed. I don't want it "shrunk", or made to disappear from view, I want it out. Usually, colorectal cancer can be slow moving, providing some time to address a more time sensitive growth. The lung has a tremendous amount of blood cells moving through it, each one can carry a cancer cell to a new area.. "mets to the lung" would mean that the colon cancer has moved into the lung.. Has tests proven that it is colon cancer in the lung?

Not knowing exactly where the cancer started can end up with setbacks. Biopsies will identify it all, and treatments planned accordingly. But you should really be consulting with qualified surgeons, and only surgeons and physicians that don't have lunch together. You don't need a consultation of Frat house buds, you need independent opinions from surgeons that have no vested interest in professional relationships.

I just lost a good friend and neighbor to Melanoma. I pleaded with him and his wife to get other opinions. They asked their Oncologist and their Oncologist sent them to his associated physician. Oddly, that opinion was exactly the same as the first Oncologist. I pleaded again for them to get an opinion from outside the area. Again they told the same oncologist, and he sent them to Florida's major cancer clinic, where he was an associate member. His Melanoma was a stage 1, about 95% curable. It advanced rapidly due to chemical treatments failing to work. Immediate surgery could have saved him, or so his wife has learned since...

Please, get other opinions from qualified surgeons. Ask some nurses who they feel are good surgeons, they see things we don't. And you should have a Gastroenterologist to consult with. Abdominal surgery leaves an impact on one's life; your guy needs all the help he can get.

"Never carry all the eggs in one shopping bag"

Good luck and best wishes,

John

vtspa6 said:

John, thanks for the info!

Yep, he first had a biopsy of the rectal tumor and then the last biopsy was a needle lung biopsy which confirmed it was rectal cancer in the lungs.  His poor lungs are full of 'nobes'? (spots).  There are at least 10 in each lobe.  Oncologist said unless the spots shrink there really is no place to operate to remove anything in his lungs.  Maybe later they can remove tumor in his rectum.  They are going to put him on a drug called AVASTIN.  It should stop/slow down the growth of new blood vessels to help stop the cancer from spreading.  Have you heard of this drug?  I really think while is doing chemo we should consider going to a large cancer center.  We live in a small town and maybe Drs are not up to date?

Physicians are human and have the same human failures we all experience, regardless of town.

I think most cancer patients that have been through this initial experience would highly recommend getting other opinions before beginning any treatment. Once treatment begins, anything can follow.

Avastin has been around awhile. A New York Times article from 2008 summed it up quite well.

There is no known “cure” for cancer. Some of us do go for quite awhile in spite of it, regardless of treatments, but there is never a guarantee any treatment is better than the next. It is the reason I strongly suggest that anyone that is diagnosed with cancer gets other opinions from qualified surgeons prior to beginning any treatment.

Let me clear (if you don’t know already), that I am not an advocate for western pharmaceuticals. After a stage four diagnosis of colon cancer in 2006 (3~5 year prognosis with chemical/radiation therapy), I took a totally different route to fight the cancer within me.

Each of us has to use the instinct; the intuition we all were given, for self preservation. Some drugs seem to work for some, and not for others. Some drugs make people so ill they wish they died, while others taking the same drug feel no effect. Some people have no lasting effects from a drug, while others suffer debilitating ills long after the immediate problem disappears. We’re all different, and there may not be any one silver bullet to solve the problem. Only the patient can hear his/her body and instinctual language screaming: “it doesn’t sound like a good idea - don’t do it.”  No one else can hear that inner voice, and no one else should make a life or death choice (unless the patient is incapable of doing so).

Although I went a different route, if my wife was diagnosed with cancer it is she and she alone that would have to make the choice of treatments. All I would do, is no different than I do here - encourage second and third opinions, do not allow fear to direct your decisions, learn about all the options for care, and do not ever disregard the perils of certain treatments.

Rushing blindly into any harsh treatment out of the fear of not doing that treatment has been reflected by many former posters here, and perhaps many remaining here (they can speak up if they choose to). I’ve read it too many times, the words “if I had only known; if I had only been told”. Unfortunately, when anyone ever spoke up against a treatment, they were denounced for speaking up. Most all that have been successful using an entirely different modality have left this forum. It should be understood however, that there are indeed other ways to fight cancer. You just won’t find out from anyone here; it’s usually not worth the ridicule and insults. It’s not that they don’t care, they care about helping others as much as I do…. It’s just too frustrating to fight the industrial hype that has managed to convince everyone that there is only one way for a resolve to cancer, even though the industry has not yet found one.

There are new surgical procedures that involve killing tumors and nodules using radio waves, freeing temperatures, etc, injected directly into tumors. They may want to address both the surgical removal of rectal cancer, and work on the lungs at the same time. Many times the surgical procedures help more than the debilitating radiation or the harsh chemical therapy!

That said (did I type all that?), please do your guy a favor and get other opinions before starting treatment? It seriously is that important to do so.

Be well,

John

I was diagnosed in November and did not start chemo until January, so it was around the two month mark. 

It just seems like they should start everything immedietely, as its your  husband's life (and your) that is on the line. But they want tests. They want surgery and recovery. And for me, they wanted their Christmas and New Years break. 

I wish your husband all of the best.

I hope you continue to visit us here on the forum, as we are a great bunch of people, both patients and caregivers. 

Sue - Trubrit

Ask yourself this question, if the tumor was in this doctor's colon would HE be taking 2 1/2 months before he did anything about it?

I firmly believe in second opinions.