Radiation therapy

imagineit2010
imagineit2010 Member Posts: 152 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Are there any Rectal cancer patients that used Brachytherapy (contact radiotherapy) as their method of radiation treatment? It seems better suited to low rectal tumors than (standard)external beam radiation having less surrounding tissue damage. Just wondering how many people were offered this option. What about Tomotherapy? This too seems like a great improvement over the standard. If so, how were your side effects?

Comments

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #2
    External Only Here...
    Very interesting - it was never offered to me but that was 6-years ago, and it sounds like there are more options now.

    I took the External beam - it did alot of heavy damage to be sure.

    I'd sure be interested to learn if you decide to go this way.

    -Craig
  • Kerry S
    Kerry S Member Posts: 606 Member
    #3
    chemo/rad shotgun approach
    Almost 2 years back I had one cancerous node just behind my tail bone. They killed it with the chemo/rad shotgun approach. They also fried my prostate gland and God knows what else. I asked before they started why they could not do it a better way. They told me this was the only way. Maybe things have changed now.
  • greybeard64
    greybeard64 Member Posts: 254
    #4
    external
    I guess this wasnt available when I had mine either. external is hard on surrounding area to be sure.
    Good luck, and like Craig, I am curious about the procedure.
  • imagineit2010
    imagineit2010 Member Posts: 152 Member
    #5
    greybeard64 said:

    external
    I guess this wasnt available when I had mine either. external is hard on surrounding area to be sure.
    Good luck, and like Craig, I am curious about the procedure.

    more options
    So, the Tomotherapy is available at a facility a bit farther away from me but I'm still probably going to try it. It wasn't offered to me where I am seeing my Onc. but they have it at a sister site a few cities away. The Tomotherapy is the latest tech. involving radiation therapy using pinpoint acuracy allowing for very little collateral damage.(good part) The bad part is you get a DAILY CT scan. So they don't have long term data on effects of daily CT exposure but I'm interested anyway. I figure I KNOW the problems with the "shotgun" radiation. I may as well be on the forefront with the new stuff and take my chances. I'm still pissed my Onc. did not mention this when I was concerned with regular radiation side effects down there. The Tomotherapy is offered in the same cancer center system, just at a different location. You have to wonder what else is available that they choose not to mention...
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #6
    imagineit2010 said:

    more options
    So, the Tomotherapy is available at a facility a bit farther away from me but I'm still probably going to try it. It wasn't offered to me where I am seeing my Onc. but they have it at a sister site a few cities away. The Tomotherapy is the latest tech. involving radiation therapy using pinpoint acuracy allowing for very little collateral damage.(good part) The bad part is you get a DAILY CT scan. So they don't have long term data on effects of daily CT exposure but I'm interested anyway. I figure I KNOW the problems with the "shotgun" radiation. I may as well be on the forefront with the new stuff and take my chances. I'm still pissed my Onc. did not mention this when I was concerned with regular radiation side effects down there. The Tomotherapy is offered in the same cancer center system, just at a different location. You have to wonder what else is available that they choose not to mention...

    You're In the Lead....
    I follow the radiation cases carefully and I'm thinking that you are the 1st person to talk about this, so you are indeed on the forefront.

    I'm with you on the risks of daily CTs - how many would you have to do concurrently?

    I suppose in assessing the risks, sometimes we have to take a chance - I support this decision - looking back I'd rather do a daily CT than take the permanent damage the external did to me, so kudos for your courage to step up and try this.

    We will all be following your lead now - I'm wishing you the best of luck and hope it is all that it is being billed as - would be nice to have a "radiation lite."

    I was out on the forefront recently - I did the DaVinci robotic surgery on my lung tumor and was the 1st patient in North Texas to do it, thereby opening the doors for others to walk through.

    I applaud you on this big endeavor and I really want to know how it all turns out.

    I've found that oncs are not very forthright about many things, but pleased that you found a facility that you can do this procedure at.

    Thank you!

    -Craig
  • imagineit2010
    imagineit2010 Member Posts: 152 Member
    #7
    Sundanceh said:

    You're In the Lead....
    I follow the radiation cases carefully and I'm thinking that you are the 1st person to talk about this, so you are indeed on the forefront.

    I'm with you on the risks of daily CTs - how many would you have to do concurrently?

    I suppose in assessing the risks, sometimes we have to take a chance - I support this decision - looking back I'd rather do a daily CT than take the permanent damage the external did to me, so kudos for your courage to step up and try this.

    We will all be following your lead now - I'm wishing you the best of luck and hope it is all that it is being billed as - would be nice to have a "radiation lite."

    I was out on the forefront recently - I did the DaVinci robotic surgery on my lung tumor and was the 1st patient in North Texas to do it, thereby opening the doors for others to walk through.

    I applaud you on this big endeavor and I really want to know how it all turns out.

    I've found that oncs are not very forthright about many things, but pleased that you found a facility that you can do this procedure at.

    Thank you!

    -Craig

    Not sure of the details yet,
    Not sure of the details yet, Craig, but I have a consult next week to see if I am a candidate. I've read some studies on Pub Med and the results look good. I do know they can boost the dose up and have a shorter length of treatment but get better outcome with less adverse effects. (just what I'm looking for) Crazy thing is they seem to reserve the use for elderly people who can't tolerate the side effects of standard rad. No disrespect to the elderly but I would think the priority would be on younger people to avoid a longer life of medical problems from colateral damage. IMHO.. Also, BRAVO to you on that DaVinci procedure. I read some of your past ordeal and while radiation may have damaged some parts on you it must have made at least TWO things GROW because you need some big b@*** to let them do that at all let alone be the first.... I'm hoping this decade will bring some real advances in technology to our plight. It seems it's been buisness as usual for too long with cancer treatments. We can't continue to be pharmacutical experiments, we need REAL advancement but I guess that means REAL money too. Too bad it usually takes 7 to 10 years for FDA approval. I'll update the more I know about this Tomotherapy and hope the best for you too.
  • polarprincess
    polarprincess Member Posts: 202 Member
    #8
    imagineit2010 said:

    Not sure of the details yet,
    Not sure of the details yet, Craig, but I have a consult next week to see if I am a candidate. I've read some studies on Pub Med and the results look good. I do know they can boost the dose up and have a shorter length of treatment but get better outcome with less adverse effects. (just what I'm looking for) Crazy thing is they seem to reserve the use for elderly people who can't tolerate the side effects of standard rad. No disrespect to the elderly but I would think the priority would be on younger people to avoid a longer life of medical problems from colateral damage. IMHO.. Also, BRAVO to you on that DaVinci procedure. I read some of your past ordeal and while radiation may have damaged some parts on you it must have made at least TWO things GROW because you need some big b@*** to let them do that at all let alone be the first.... I'm hoping this decade will bring some real advances in technology to our plight. It seems it's been buisness as usual for too long with cancer treatments. We can't continue to be pharmacutical experiments, we need REAL advancement but I guess that means REAL money too. Too bad it usually takes 7 to 10 years for FDA approval. I'll update the more I know about this Tomotherapy and hope the best for you too.

    tomo
    i know someone who had a very aggressive lung cancer that had less than 5% chance of being curable, and he got the tomotherapy and it obliterated his lung tumors and they are hopeful now he might make it. as far as colon cancer goes,i am of the understanding tomotherapy can be used for people who may have a recurrent rectal tumor in an area that has already been radiated and cannot be again with standard radiation. it all sounds very exciting though.
  • Kerry S
    Kerry S Member Posts: 606 Member
    #9
    you can tell the pioneers
    A lot of folks will tell you “you can tell the pioneers by the number of arrows in their backs”. I have always felt that when you go in first you have the Calvary traveling with you.

Discussion Boards