Good News!

My husband was diagnosed with colon cancer (stage 3) in May 2006. He had a colon resection.

Shortly thereafter, he had a recurrence and was restaged at stage 4. He had months of chemotherapy and another recurrence in October 2007 and another resection. After the October 2007 surgery, the surgeon told us there was no evidence (visual or in testing) of any spread of my husband's cancer when he removed the sizable tumor in my husband's abdomen. We took a very deep breath and hoped that our ordeal was over.

In September 2008, a routine CT scan showed a nodule in the fat layer of my husband's abdominal wall (but no evidence of cancer anywhere else) and a subsequent biopsy showed cancer cells in the abdominal wall nodule. We were devastated to learn that the cancer had returned but all of our doctors (the surgeon and the oncologist) counseled us that this recurrence was confined to the fat layer of the abdominal wall and would be relatively easy to remove.

My husband had surgery last Thursday to remove the nodule. The pathology report from that surgery showed clear margins. The first two surgeries were very difficult but this surgery was much easier on my husband. He was allowed to come home the day after the surgery.

We had a follow-up visit with the surgeon today and he was very positive in his evaluation of my husband's situation. He told us that he felt the recurrence was a result of some microscopic cancer cells that were left in the abdominal wall fat at the time of the 2007 surgery. He said there was no evidence of penetration of the abdominal wall by this cancerous nodule. More importantly, he told us there was every reason to believe that my husband would continue to enjoy good health. Our oncologist told us the same thing.

I'm writing this note because I believe my husband's experience reinforces the message that it is possible to beat (or at least manage) this awful disease.

Like many of you, I suspect, I have considerable cancer "baggage." My father died many years ago of multiple myeloma. His disease was awful and that experience broke the spirit of everyone in our family. Because that happened to my father, it has been very difficult for me to trust doctors (and others) during the progress of my husband's illness. But....my husband's case is proof that there is hope and there has been much progress in the treatment of this disease.

My husband's case also points to the fact that no one, of whatever age, should give up when faced with this disease. One of my fondest memories of our surgeon's interaction with my husband was when, at the time of the 2007 recurrence, my husband told the surgeon "I'm 89. I've had a long, good life. This will be a difficult surgery. Maybe I should just accept my fate and give up on fighting this disease." The surgeon looked my husband firmly in the eye and told him how otherwise healthy he was and encouraged him to fight for his life and for our life together.

My husband will be 91 years old in January.


Hatshepsut