when do you undergo radiation

ketziah35
ketziah35 Member Posts: 1,145
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My mom is 3c and is undergoing chemo but no radiation treatments have been mentioned. When do they usually bring in radiation?

Comments

  • Lifeisajourney
    Lifeisajourney Member Posts: 216
    #2
    I am Stage 3
    and since they removed my right ascending colon I did not have radiation, just went right to chemo. I am sure someone else can explain it better, I just know with mine there was no radiation involved. Pat
  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #3
    Ket
    She may not be getting radiation. My hubby's tumor was in the transverse colon and was removed during surgery before chemo therefore no radiation. Otheres will be on to give you more insight.

    Tina
  • karguy
    karguy Member Posts: 1,020 Member
    #4
    Radiation
    I did chemo,and radiation at the same time,then 5 weeks off,then surgery.As far as I know most people do both at the same time.Then more chemo after surgery.I ended up with a colostomy,they had to take alot out because the tumor had started to spread.Good luck.
  • John23
    John23 Member Posts: 2,122 Member
    #5
    What's worse?


    I had neither. They took out over four feet of colon and over
    20 lymph nodes. Then they got my wallet and most of my
    bank account. I think that hurt most.

    Radiation is usually limited to cancer tumors that can not be
    reached by surgery, and are too dangerously close to a critical
    organ to wait to see if chemo will stop the cancer or not.

    Radiation does not simply destroy the cancerous tumor, it destroys
    everything it passes through from point A to point B. It is the cause
    of second cancers, and can cause problems that are worse than
    the cancer.

    Radiation usually isn't doled out as a remedy unless it's absolutely needed.

    See: Radiation Therapy for Cancer - National Cancer Institute

    I am slowly losing a good cyber-friend not to the cancer she has, but
    from the damage of the radiation therapy that's ravaged her insides.

    She says she's melting from the inside out.

    I can cry, but I can't help her.

    Better health to you and yours.


    John
  • Moesimo
    Moesimo Member Posts: 1,072 Member
    #6
    radiation is only for rectal
    for colon cancer radiation is only for rectal, it is not used for cancers higher up in the colon. it is usu. done preop at the same time as chemo. if your mom has colon and not rectal she prob. wont get radiation. I hopoe this helps.
  • wifeandmom
    wifeandmom Member Posts: 31
    #7
    Moesimo said:

    radiation is only for rectal
    for colon cancer radiation is only for rectal, it is not used for cancers higher up in the colon. it is usu. done preop at the same time as chemo. if your mom has colon and not rectal she prob. wont get radiation. I hopoe this helps.

    My understanding is that the pre-operative (neoadjuvant) radiation for rectal cancer is to try to shrink the tumor as much as possible in order to try to spare the sphincter. That's how it was explained to me for the treatment of my rectal cancer.

    Best wishes to your mom for successful treatment.
    Regards,
    Dorothy
  • greybeard64
    greybeard64 Member Posts: 254
    #8
    Moesimo said:

    radiation is only for rectal
    for colon cancer radiation is only for rectal, it is not used for cancers higher up in the colon. it is usu. done preop at the same time as chemo. if your mom has colon and not rectal she prob. wont get radiation. I hopoe this helps.

    not always
    I for one have colon cancer, and have been through two rounds of radiation. the reason for the treatments was no chemo cocktail was having any effect on the cancer, so they used radiation pre-op, to provide "clean margins" around the cancer so they could remove it surgically. My first DX involved the area where the small and large intestines come together and the tumor had ruptured my colon. So while it may be the norm for rectal and not "higher" colon issues it is not a rectal exclusive procedure.

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