Metastatic, Terminal colon cancer with liver metastasis and bowel perforation

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Has anyone ever had Metastatic, Terminal colon cancer with liver metastasis and bowel perforation? Starting chemo this week  Fluorouracil (5-FU) OX – Oxaliplatin with no antibodies because of the perforated colon. Doctors in my hometown wanted to do immediate surgery and give me a colostomy bag and go to another hospital for the liver treatment. I refused treatment there and went to another hospital. There they wanna start chemo 1st because the perforation is contained. If anyone knows anything about this please let me know. Thanks!

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  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    edited January 2017 #2
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    Welcome Ronald

    Sorry you found yourself here. This is not a forum folks are excited to join. 

    I have CRC with met to the liver but not (thank goodness) the perforation.  I was on the Oxaliplatin and 5FU and had an ablation on my liver met. 

    Many Oncologist like to try and shrink the tumour with chemo and then do the surgery to remove the offending tumour if that is an option. For me, the tumor was obstucting the bowel and had to be remvoved before chemo. 

    Was the perferation caused by the Colonoscopy procedue? 

    TRU

  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    edited January 2017 #3
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    Make sure you are in the hands of a top colorectal oncologist

    Many hospitals have oncology departments, but they don't really break out the specialties.  If you can, get yourself to a major cancer center where there are oncologists and oncologic surgeons who specialize exclusively on colorectal cancers.

    And note:  Stage 4 is not a death sentence.  I know of a number of people who successfully had their liver lesions treated as well as the colon tumor, and are around many years later.

  • traci43
    traci43 Member Posts: 773 Member
    edited January 2017 #4
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    there are many here with stage IV and liver mets

    I would think that the big thing to take care of, and quickly, is the bowel perforation, you don't want to develop an infection from leakage into the abdomen.  The liver mets may not be so immediate, I'm guessing.  A lot would depend on size and location.  I agree with others, get thee to a major cancer center if at all possible ASAP!  There is a lot that can be done and stage IV is not always terminal.  There are several, myself included, that were/are stage IV and are still alive years later.  Also,  colostomy bags aren't always permanent, some can be reversed.  A lot depends on how close to the anus the cut is made. 

    I never had any liver involvement, mine metastized to the ovaries and abdominal fat.  It's taken 7 1/2 years, 4 surgeries and 56 rounds of chemo to get me to where I am--cancer free for 2 1/2 years.  I have a permanent colostomy bag since the last surgery and live a fairly normal life.  Good luck to you and keep us posted.  Traci

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    edited January 2017 #5
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    I agree with everyone here.

    I agree with everyone here. What you're dealing with was not what I dealt with but I hope you will beat this or at least live a long time with it. I loathe the word terminal. We're all terminal, really. The likelihood is that it will get us all eventually if we don't pass from something else first. The word, to me, is so defeating. Like there's no hope. Nobody should ever think there is no hope, ever. That's the worst thing anyone can be told. When having a positive attitude is so important to help your body heal and to fight this however you can, its something that is so important to hold onto. I'm going to find a quote that I've kept that I think is very important. Be right back.

    Jan

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    edited January 2017 #6
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    Okay, here it is. HG Wells

    Okay, here it is. HG Wells said 'I hope, or I could not live'. Please allow yourself to always have hope.

    Jan

  • Ladyboots
    Ladyboots Member Posts: 6 Member
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    My husband was diagnosed with

    My husband was diagnosed with colon caner on Dec 6, 2016. He had a mass in his colon so big that he could not evacuate his bowels. At first the doctors were not going to take out the mas because it would prolong the healing time and hubby would have to wait longer to start chemo. Then they decided the mass had to come out asap because of the pain it was causing. Once the surgon was in the colon, she was surprised that the mass had attached it self to the small intestine and had started to perferate it. She also found a self sealed pocket of nothing but infection (a large puss sack she called it), that had not showed up on the CT scan. The surgon removed the mass and puss sack, then cut out the part of the bowel that had the tumor attached to it, and last but not least, gave hubby a colostomy bag. We see the oncoligist on Jan 17 to talk about chemo. It's amazing how much we can put our bodies through when we want to beat cancer. Someone on this forum suggested getting a second opinion from a doctor that isn't affiliated with the first diagnosing doctor. I know how much time hubby's surgon gave him, now I'm going to see what the oncoligist says. Everyone says not to take "experation dates" to heart, so many great stories of people beating the odds with hard work and dedication. I know both you and my husband will be proof of this motto!! Good luck