Stage 2 colon cancer- should I take xeloda?

 I had a recurrence and I'm on maintenance Chemo, 3500mg Xeloda (2 weeks) and a shot of Avastin every three weeks.

 I tolerate it well, almost no side effects except for a little fatigue.

It's keeping my cancer from spreading. 

Good Luck

Tunadog said:

I'm stage 2 and taking Xeloda and Avastin..

 I had a recurrence and I'm on maintenance Chemo, 3500mg Xeloda (2 weeks) and a shot of Avastin every three weeks.

 I tolerate it well, almost no side effects except for a little fatigue.

It's keeping my cancer from spreading. 

Good Luck

hi,

di you have a high deductible with your Xeloda? my oncologist prescribed me xeloda but i was not able to afford it, so i'm staying with my regular chemo.

This is an old post, but my oncologist recommended Xeloda/Radiation/Surgery/Chemo.  I'm not sure of my staging but mine was rectal cancer.  Good luck to the new ones posting.  You might need to start a new threat if you need new answers.

Kim

kmcgowan said:

On the fence, not sure which way to go

I had surgery for colon cancer on 10/18/2017 and my Oncologist suggests taking Xeloda for 6 months. I had stage IIB with 15 negative nodes. I am at moderate risk but the percentage of survival is so minimal, around 3%. He also said he would like to see me every 3 months for followups. I am still not sure if I should do the treatment or not.  

 

It is a very hard decision to make, and at the end of the day, its all up to you. Pretty scary stuff!

We have folks here who have decided to go forward with treatment and those who have not. Some are here, and some have passed, and who knows if their decision made any difference. 

Have you thought about getting a second opinion?  There seem to be no set plan for every Oncologist, and sometimes they don't even know what is best. When I had my liver ablation, my Oncologist was leaning toward adjuvant chemo, but was not sure, so he called a colleagie in antoher state, and together they discussed my case.  I think if I were you (which I'm not) I would think about a second opinion, and that may make your decision easier. 

I wish you all the luck in the world, as you move forward with whatever deciosion you make. Don't look back, as it changes nothing.

May I suggest you start a new thread here on the forum   https://csn.cancer.org/forum/128   That way, members can answer your personal question without running over Cinnamon's thread.

Tru

Kmcgowan:

We share a common disease stage and decision regarding adjuvant chemo treatment.  My tumor was so large that it had to be treated prior to surgery with both chemo (Xeloda in pill form and radiation).  That treatment eradicated the tumor.  The surgeon did not find any evidence of it nor were any of my lymph nodes positive.  What a testament to the efficacy of neoadjuvant treatment!

But even with that outcome my oncologist recommended additional chemo after the surgery.  His argument was predicated upon the fact that none of my lymph nodes were biopsied prior to the neoadjuvant chemo/radiation so they could have been positive, which would have clearly warranted the adjuvant treatment.  I thought that was a good argument, but very speculative.

I agonized over the decision.  Then I factored in two more considerations: my age/state of health and whether or not the medical/insurance industry would approve the treatment.

All things considered, I am in the best physical, mental, emotional and financial condition that I will enjoy for the balance of my life.  It only makes sense to undertake this challenge now instead of possibly having to do so under less than desirable conditions.

I did not receive any pushback from the medical or insurance industry therefore I concluded that this course of action is not abnormal.  That was strong and affirming evidence to me that adjuvant treatment for the lower stages of CRC also has merit.

My decision was to undergo the adjuvant chemo, but with my restrictions.  I told my oncologist that I drew the line for quality of life during the treatment when/if I began to experience any neuropathy in my extremities.  This is not the cold sensitiviy, it's the neuropathy.  Since I was 29 (currently 66) I have suffered from two different hand ailments, Dupytrens Contractures and Reynauld's Syndrome (in both hands).  To quote PopEye the Sailor Man..."that's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!"  Consequently, I told my oncologist that I will only endure 6 cycles of infusion instead of the standard protocol of 12 cycles.  He agreed.

So that describes my decision making process.  Each of us have our own.  But it remains your decision and your responsibility to make that decision.  I want to underscore and emphasize what Tru stated above.  "Don"t look back..."  When we look back and second guess we are squandaring the moment and wasting energy.  It serves little to no purpose.  If a person makes a tough decision, and did so after considering the best available evidence, then that is the best that could have been done.  What is the best available evidence?  My answer to that question is dependent upon how much time is available to make the decision and a realistic assessment of the information that is reasonably accessible to a patient. 

I recall a moment in my life when I was an officer in the U.S. Army and was faced with a tough decision.  By chance the unit chaplain was in the vicinity so he and I socially engaged (talked) briefly.  He then asked me about the ongoing situation and what course of action I would recommend to the commander.  The chaplain was aware of the situation but not as knowledgeable as I was.  That really did not matter because he was trying to assist me in improving my decision making ability, not to influence my decision.  There's a big difference between the two.

As our brief conversation ended and we both needed to do other tasks the chaplain said something to me that I have never forgotten.  It was only a few words, but they meant a lot to me.  He said, "May the Lord be with you in your decision making process." That gave me confidence, and still does, whenever I am faced with and forced to make a difficult decision.

Jim

ellend said:

Xeloda or not

I was also diagnosed stage 2 and after resection, had clean margins, negative 19 of 19 lymph nodes. I also struggled with whether or not do have the adjuvant chemo. I ended up getting FOLFOX for 8 treatments. Well, not entirely true because they stopped the 5FU and Leucovorin after the 2nd treatment because my platelets were getting too low. I still had the bolus 5FU in the fanny pack for an additional 2 days though. The side effects were worse with the Oxaliplatin than the Xeloda IMHO. I'm still dealing with peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet due to the IV chemo. I'm hoping it will get better over time.

I took Xeloda during the radiation treatments I underwent prior to surgery to shrink the tumor. I was taking it 7x a week, 3x per day for 5 weeks. I didn't take the Xeloda the last weekend because my hands and feet were getting cracked. I probably didn't take care of them as well as I should have, though. Plus everyone's reactions are different.

Good luck with whatever path you choose.

hello please tell me why did you opt for chemo when it was stage 2

hi there i wish you all the Luck 

my dad had resection too and it was stage 2 A will you please share you CEA level before surgery and what was CT and PeT scan report i shall be grateful

airborne72 said:

My Situation

Worriedchild:

I assume your post was directed towards me.  If not, my information may be beneficial anyway.

My CEA level was so low while I still had a "yet to be treated" tumor that my oncologist ignored it.  He said that for me the CEA indicator was not accurate.

After my LAR surgery my surgeon said that he could not find any evidence of disease in my rectum.  Four lymph nodes were tested and none were positive.  Clean margins as well.  All of this is good news.

The surgical pathology report indicated no evidence of disease so my pathological staging was downgraded to T1N0M0.  Prior to surgery it was staged at Stage 2 simply due to the size of my tumor.

Now for more information about me.  Last week I decided to terminate my adjuvant chemo therapy.  I completed 3 sessions of Oxy and 5Fu (FOLFOX6) and it was so physically devastating to my body that I had to stop.  That combined with the above information and I decided that I really did not need to continue with the chemo.

Each of us must make our own INFORMED decision about OUR cancer treatment regimen.  It is not easy, but then again nothing about cancer is easy.

Jim

I was tested for all of those other genetic markers and the results came back negative, which is a good thing.

My tumor was described as well differentiated, which is a good thing.

The CT scans indicated no evidence of disease anywhere other than my rectum, which is a good thing.

Sounds like you're in a good place with peace of mind now.

Thanks guys.  Cancer is comparable to a colloquial saying..."it is not an easy row to hoe."  This has been a tough decision for me, but surprisingly I have no regrets.  In fact, every time my mind wanders back to "it" I use that moment to remind myself to LIVE in the moment - to be happy and thankful for where I am.  That thought association is responsible for my mood elevating and my outlook to be more positive.

Right now I am concentrating on physically recovering from the chemo.  I am almost 15 pounds below my normal weight.  This ileostomy is preventing me from enjoying an inclusive diet but it is temporary and that is another thing that I have learned about CRC - it is a protracted fight, measured in months and years.

My goal is to once again enjoy the warm sunshine while tending to my garden; to feel the tug of a fish on my line; to hold my granddaughter and share all that I know with her so she doesn't have to make the same mistakes that i have made in life; to smell fresh cut hay; to float in the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico; to plant flowers and watch them bloom; to be a good neighbor and a good citizen; and to never forget that there is someone carrying a burden greater than mine.  I have time remaining to do all of that plus so much more.

Jim