Up coming surgery

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Gene R.
Gene R. Member Posts: 2
in Esophageal Cancer #1
Thank you all for posting your experiencs her for all to see. Mine in at the GE juncture , did Chemo and radiation for 5 week at Jefferson in Phila, I am diagnosed stage two with a pet scan that said it had not spread before treatment started. I am done chemo and radiation three weeks now and have another Pet scan next week and a surgical visit on the 15th to dicsuss results pet scan hopefully set up surgery.
I would be interested in hearing from any of you who have had the same thing as mee and how you did and are doing now. Mr Doc is Ernest Rosato of Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philly Pa. Have any of you had any experirnce with him I hear he's the one.??
Thank you for listening , Keep Smiling
Gene

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  • BMGky
    BMGky Member Posts: 621
    #2
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    My husband had similar treatment
    Good luck on your upcoming surgery. My husband had the Ivor Lewis form and it is a big surgery; however, at age 70, he did fine. While there are bumps in the road and learning processes, about six months out from surgery, things get back to a new normal. Eats what he wants; however, he should eat small amounts and frequently. May need a little rest afterwards if eaten too much as will get stomachache. He's worked throughout the process except when in the hospital. Granted, days were shorter at times, but he kept active. Just returned from Colorado. He did better physically than I did. I am very glad you are going ahead with the surgery post chemo/radiation. Very important. While you may get a clear PET scan, scar tissue can hide active cancer cells. This happened to my husband so the surgery was vital to his outcomes. He just had his first PET scan following surgery, and he has no evidence of disease. Yay!! Mary
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #3
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    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • kcinpdx
    kcinpdx Member Posts: 13
    #4
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    GE Junction Cancer - Up Coming Surgery
    Hi Gene, I have GE Junction cancer, diagnosed stage 3, with 2 positive nodes, now 11 months into the battle. I did 9 weeks of EOX chemo last summer, then on the recommendation of my surgical oncologist, did a second round of 6 week chemo/radiation therapy I completed January 17th, 2011. Interesting to note is that the surgeon suggested I consider chemo/radiation because in ~20 percent of cases the cancer is eradicated and in many instances surgery is not necessary. A relative of my wife's co-worker had the same cancer, did the same therapy, was "cured" and didn't have surgery and has led a happy healthy cancer free life since then.

    Before I started the 6 week chemo/radiation the PET scan had news, the lymph nodes had gone silent and biopsies came back negative. My tumor had shrunk 50 percent.

    After the 6 week chemo/radiation treatment, my most recent Feb 24th, 2011 endoscopy biopsy of my original GE junction tumor came back with "no evidence of malignancy." My follow-up PET scan is at the end of March. That's where I'm at today. The surgical decision depends on the results of the next PET scan and the opinion of my medical oncologist. My best to you, stay positive! Keith
  • bdotson
    bdotson Member Posts: 3
    #5
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    Surgery
    I had a complete esophagectomy two years ago after 4 months of chemo. The removed my esophagus and 1/3 of my stomach. There are different types of esophageal cancers. Your treatment and surgery will depend on the type of cancer you have and it's location. REMOVE THE CANCER! it's your best chance of survival. Google Dr. Thomas Rice at the Cleveland Clinic. Your not too far away.

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