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Ak58
Ak58 Member Posts: 2 *
in Colorectal Cancer #1

I am 66 year male, diagnosed in April 2024 with Colorectal cancer. After an MRI & CT scan which were done soon after the surgical resection, I was given a Stage 3c and was told by cancer board that no treatment plan was needed for 6 months and a follow up is upcoming in late September. I have changed my diet since April to eat better through more fiber and less sugar. Also exercising nearly every day. My question is the wait common? Or was the believe they have removed the cancer? Any input will calm my anxiety. Am i eating and exercising right?

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  • jamyers97
    jamyers97 Member Posts: 2 *
    #2

    Stage 3c resection is usually followed by a chemotherapy regimen. Why was that not recommended in your situation? Was a cancer tumor DNA test done to check for any microscopic cancer in your blood that would not be detectable in a CT scan?

    My wife had stage 3b and received 12 chemotherapy treatments after which she received a clear CT scan. 2 1/2 years later the cancer reappeared in her lymph nodes. Her current doctor feels that the chemo never really knocked it out and that a CTDNA test would have detected it and resulted in a different course of treatment at the time.

  • Ak58
    Ak58 Member Posts: 2 *
    #3
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1717696#Comment_1717696

    Thank you for the reply. My CEA result was <2.0. Next MRI is at the end of September. Will ask my doctor.

  • beaumontdave
    beaumontdave Member Posts: 1,289 Member
    #4
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1717696#Comment_1717696

    Interesting that your wife's diagnosis and chemo results are so similar, though my recurrence came in the liver. A CTDNA test wasn't available in my time, but I'm 17years out and 10 NED now, from that time, for what it's worth…………

  • beaumontdave
    beaumontdave Member Posts: 1,289 Member
    #5

    I didn't get that test, so I can't advise, but the CEA test was reliable for me. I was 49 at diagnosis, and am 66 now. I did the exercise and ate better for a good while, but I enjoyed good food, beers, and cigars, mostly on the idea that cancer had taken enough, and they were going to catch it, or not, whether I towed the line, or not. Diet and exercise are things I'm still wrestling with, now that I've gotten to 66, and worn out ankles and a surgically repaired foot are the big issues now, but I am still here and NED, so take heart and good luck to you.

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