Internal radiation

howdyrichard
howdyrichard Member Posts: 7
in Esophageal Cancer #1

Has anyone received internal radiation as opposed to external?  I am about to start chemo and radiation next week and still trying to get answers.  I went to another hospital last week for a second opinion but that turned out to be a waste of time!  I would think that here in Houston we would have excellent cancer treatment centers...

 

- howdyrichard

Comments

  • Deathorglory
    Deathorglory Member Posts: 364 Member
    #2
    Hello Richard

    Hello Richard,

    I'm not familiar with EC patients receiving iinternal radiation.  Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, just that I don't know of it.  The spot where you are can be a particularly frustrating time.  A newly diagnosed patient frequently wants to get answers immediately, get all of their tests done yesterday and start up treatment up ASAP.  This is quite literally life and death stuff to the patient.  Folks often struggle with why things take longer than they want to wait.  I know I've run into that in my own treatment.  

    I'm not in the business of recommending specific hospitals or doctors to people, but I know that Houston has a couple of world class cancer centers.  There's no reason for you to be receiving anything less than the best of care.  Getting to a top quality hospital is the single most important thing you can do.  

    Best Wishes with Your Treatment,

    Ed

  • paul61
    paul61 Member Posts: 1,391 Member
    #3
    Internal Radiation as in radioembolization?

    Hello Richard,

    If by "internal radiation" you are referring to “radioembolization”; it is a treatment approach for certain tumors that are in organs where the metallic beads that have been made radioactive can be injected into an area close to the tumor that then attacks the tumor. This is a technique that is sometimes used to address esophageal cancer that has metastasized to an organ, like the liver.

     Like Ed; I am reluctant to recommend one cancer center over another. I only can speak from my own experience. But if I were in Houston; MD Anderson Cancer Center would definitely be on my “short list”. They are ranked as one of the top cancer treatment centers in the US.

    When you have been told you have cancer, getting all the staging tests, and treatment plans defined seems to take forever. But it is important to take the time to get it right.

    I have found the pamphlet reference at this web address to be very helpful in providing authoritative information at a level that us non-medical professionals can understand. https://www.nccn.org/patients/guidelines/esophageal/files/assets/basic-html/page-1.html

    Wishing you the best in getting your treatment plan underway.

    Best Regards,

    Paul Adams

    McCormick, South Carolina
    DX 10/2009 T2N1M0  Stage IIB - Ivor Lewis Surgery  12/3/2009 - Post Surgery Chemotherapy 2/2009 – 6/2009
    Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU - Eight Year Survivor

  • howdyrichard
    howdyrichard Member Posts: 7
    edited June 2018 #4
    Thank you!

    I went through my first week of Cisplatin and 4 days of 5 FU and radiation.  Both you Ed and Paul are correct; the answer do not come fast enough.  What I found between my two 'opinions', is that both have very poor patient planning.  That's why earlier I did apply to MD Anderson for a follow up opinion (before reading this).  Maybe I should not have rushed to start something but it seems that everything I read starts with chemo/radiation. 

    Thanks again,

    Richard Fuller

    Clinical T2, N0, M0

     

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