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Question

Dad'sfight
Dad'sfight CSN Member Posts: 155
in Esophageal Cancer #1

My father had chemo/radiation tx and we were told yesterday that the tumor was still there but much smaller(endoscopic surery).  At this point he's not a canidate for MEI etc....  Is it possible to due more radiation/chemo and get the rest of the tumor?

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Comments

  • LauraandLarry
    LauraandLarry CSN Member Posts: 184
    #2
    Why

    Why are they saying he is not a candidate? Are they saying he is not a surgical candidate at all?

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  • TerryV
    TerryV CSN Member Posts: 887
    #3
    There are limits....

    to the amount of radiation that a body can take in one area.  Radiation itself can be quite damaging.  Chances are good that your father was prescribed the limit of radiation that his situation or body would handle.

     

    Unfortunately, chemo works only so long before the chemo "cocktail" must be changed up to continue to be effective.  When chemo is no longer effective, well, options are quite limited.

     

    Prayer and hugs to you Dad'sFight!

     

    TerryV
    PROUD wife to Nick, age 49Lost battle to EC, June 19, 2012

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  • Dad'sfight
    Dad'sfight CSN Member Posts: 155
    #4
    LauraandLarry said:

    Why

    Why are they saying he is not a candidate? Are they saying he is not a surgical candidate at all?

    He got a really bad infection

    He got a really bad infection when they  put the J-tube in.  It turned into an abcess under the incision, so they had to remove the J-tube. They had to call in center of diease control just to figure out the type of infection and how to treat it. Then he had an open wound that had to heal on its own. With all of that the surgeon is just really concerned about incisions and infections. He had so many freak set backs in the very begginning that even delayed us being able to start chemo/radiation.  I feel like the wound did heal while going through chemo and the other incisions didn't become infected. At the time of the J-tube they insertered a port and then they found a massive hernia that had to be removed also, no complications with either of those 2. I will be getting a second opinion about the surgery but now my father is just freaked out about the surgery period.

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