Wonder why my surgeon mentioned that he wil be doing another colonoscopy in due time if I receive a complete clinical response ? :?: Hi Jolene, first one is to see what response you had, second one , in my case 2 months after to see progress, if still CCR, peak of the radiation is about 2 1/2 month...

I'm so confused Mozart I had CCR at top hospital The Christie with top surgeon and onco looking after me and MDT team he took 8 biopsies under anaesthetic to check and then no cancer cells so said W &W but no extra chemo as he says why when no evidence .. he did say I could speak to onco but se...

depend's on the stage: "Patients with stage II tumors had a higher complete response rate of 54 percent (23 of 43 patients) compared to 33 percent (87 of 265 patients) with clinical stage III tumors. Pathological complete response rates were in line with previous results from a multicenter stud...

Hi Susie, I don't think there is any test at present time that is able to pick up micro cells. It is risky, but every thing is risky. Additional chemo is suppose to address any distant or local micro cells. Specially if cancer already responded to initial chemo/rad, there is big chance that disease ...

Hi Annie! W&W approach is changing. Used to be only chemo/rad, risk was high, one doesn’t know if any microcell is left in the body, or not. That extra chemo is to wipe out those questionable microcells. California was most advaneced, they have been doing this kind of approach for more than 10 y...

I had 25 sessions of chemo/rad(xeloda/radiation), cancer completelly erased. Almost 2 years ago, still negative. Felt tired after those 25 sessions, but overall not bad. Pushed to have folfox after, my surgeon was ok with that. He thought that 10 rounds was a bit over killing. Managed to get 8 in, p...

That’s great skb. It looks like this approach, now call TNT is working. Might come in different order like chemo than chemo/rad, but it’s the same package. Also people that need operation beneffit from it, as it might be diffucult to start chemo right after operation, and there is time limit when be...

Hopefully is just dead /scar tissue as per PET scan, but one could never be for sure. Last year I was talking to my onco about lymph nodes, she mentioned that very often after chemo nodes shrink, but remain visible, and don’t create problem as they are no longer source of cancer, basically dead. My ...

Thx prs,
it’s all good. Enjoyed summer and world cup (soccer). Was in Europe during games.
Have recovered from most of the side effects of chemo except neuropathy , but one learns to live with it.
It’s nice to see that this approach has taken off and evolved.

Hi guys, haven't been here for while. Just got in my email today latest article from Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital from NY. It's kind of interesting, main subject is : Sidestepping Rectal Cancer Surgery with Total Neoadjuvant Therapy "Our analysis showed that patients in the TNT group recei...

If anyone can tell me the purpose of the tattoo and if the tattoo (and the scope) is normal protocol at this stage, I would appreciate it. (Does the tattoo tell me anything about what lies ahead?) I look forward (I guess...) to getting more info after this week's tests so I can round out my signatu...

You had rough last few months man.
Wish you speedy recovery.

Morning Lotus, first good luck to you today! Yes I didn't have surgery, had so call "complete clinical response". About 25% of people after chemo/rad have complete clinical response. Out of 25%, 18% will never need surgery, remaining 8% will need surgery. There is more to it on this forum:...

Hi Lotus, yes dental cavity, eliminate any kind of possible source of infection, as chemo and rad will kill your immunity. Stage 1 usually doesnt get chemo/rad, surgery only, but my initial surgeon is very aggressive when it comes to cancer, I kind knew him personally, thats why he got picked up by ...

Lotus, sorry to hear about your resp. infection. Maybe change antibiotic. Couple of weeks won’t make much difference, you are low stage, it took years for cancer to grow. Use the time to boost your immune system, maybe check if you have any cavity, as those could create problem during treatment. Sur...