Recurrence with Normal Blood work???---UPDATE :7/20/2012....

[very worried husband]

Dear All,

Day before yesterday My wife had 6 months CT scan for her stage 3b colon cancer. she was diagnosed with 3b on January 2011.
had 5fu+oxi for 6 months and was NED. she got her surgery and chemo is China.
she came to canada ( ontario )in This April. So I regestered her with my GP. The GP said she will be referred to a gastroentreologist(sp?), and not an oncologist, since she is currently NED. we got appointmnet for day after tmorrow (20th july )with the Gastro specialist.
She had blood work last month, and everything was perfect.
Now I Just got a call from my GP's Office. and they wanted her to see oncologist on 1st of August?
I am lost....does it mean she has a recurrence???? she went for 2 weeks to uk and came back last sunday and had a very bad cough and flu, which just got better yesterday. she was coughing v badly when she had her CT.
is it possible that scan picks up the cough on scans???

CEA is not a good marker for her, as it was only 1.79 when she was diagnosed.. it was trending up for the last few times until this time, it went down...... they also do CA19, CA153, CA 125 ( i tink).. and they were all normal..

please help...

[BrownBagger]

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. I think a person in her situation should be under the care of an oncologist, regardless. Perhaps her/your GP came to the same conclusion. I wouldn't expect a GP to necessarily be up to speed on the standard of care for cancer patients, so it's certainly possible they did more research and are now recommending a more comprehensive monitoring arrangement.

As to whether a CTS can pick up evidence of a chest cold, etc.--sure. They might well have noticed something on the scan that demands more study. Doesn't mean it's a recurrence.

Easy to me to say, "relax," but that's what you should try to do in the absence of any real evidence or proof that things are not going the way you hope.

Good luck to you both!

[jens22]

Brownbagger is 100% right. Also being in so many countries exposes you to so many things. I'm no sure what body parts were CAT scaned , but no Gastro MD is going to evaluate a lung scan and questionable pelvic scan. Can you ask for the reports to take to the Oncologist ? ALso call gastro and find out what's up?

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, don't be jumping to conclusions here. IMO she should have been seeing an onc all along.

[dianetavegia]

Certainly a person only 18 months out from colon cancer should be under the watchful eye of an oncologist. Sounds like they're taking very good care of her.

Since colon cancer almost never recurs in the colon, the gastro probably guided the GP to the proper place. She'll need follow up with the gastro every few years but, again, sounds like normal routine follow up protocol.

Diane

[tmn]

It sounds as though the doctors are just following best practice. It is normal to continue to see an oncologist for several years even when the patient is NED. The interval between the appointments may be over time when the patient remains healthy. A good GP also keeps a more watchful eye on a patient after a major health problem, particularly as your wife is a new patient in Canada.

[very worried husband]

BrownBagger dianetavegia , tmn, SkiFletch, jens22, Thanks all for your kind support.
I wish and pray you are all right. I will update you all. I called my GP and the receptionist said we will need to make an appointment with the GP. She said the results are in for CT but only the GP can discuss it with us. So we made an appointment for 24th. We will see the Gastro day after tomorrow.
Thanks once again….

[very worried husband]

Brownbagger is 100% right. Also being in so many countries exposes you to so many things. I'm no sure what body parts were CAT scaned , but no Gastro MD is going to evaluate a lung scan and questionable pelvic scan. Can you ask for the reports to take to the Oncologist ? ALso call gastro and find out what's up?

Jen22, sorry i missed your question. Her CT was for abdomen and pelvic area. I called the GP office and was told that the Gastro wont have the results. The GP who ordered it will have the results.?? Not sure 100 % how it works here in ontario. So i made an appointment with my GP.we are going to see the Gastro tomorrow.

If cancer was not enough to be having @ 25 years of age and one month after getting marry, she also has LYNCH SYNDROME and IS hepatitus B carrier.............

[very worried husband]

Dear All,

Thanks for your kind support. We had the appointment with the GASTRO today and he gave us this BIG NEWS>>>>

Clear CT Scan on 16th July. My dearest wife still NED...

The Gastro explained the reasons for the appointment with the oncologist. He said my wife will need an oncologist to keep an eye on her blood work and scans etc...

We are thrilled... Thanks for your support...brownbagger, diane , jen and all I owe you .....

[BrownBagger]

Great news!

One of the hardest things I had to learn (and still struggle with) is not to read anything into what my medical team and their surrogates say, or the way they act, or what they do, beyond the obvious. You have to bear in mind that while your case is very important to you, to them you're just another patient and most doctors don't invest a lot of emotional energy into any one case. They have other things on their mind, in other words, completely unrelated to your test results, etc., and any "feeling" or "vibe" you get is probably misguided. Stick to what they actually say or do, without reading anything into either one.

[RixInPhx]

They have other things on their mind, in other words, completely unrelated to your test results, etc., and any "feeling" or "vibe" you get is probably misguided. Stick to what they actually say or do, without reading anything into either one.

Excellent point!

[BrownBagger]

Hey Rick, we still on for tomorrow? You never answered my PM. Let me know and I'll start cooking.

[jens22]

That's wonderful...especially with Lynch Symdrome she will need extra Oncology monitoring. SOunds like she's getting excellent care!!

[very worried husband]

Thanks Brown bagger , RixinPhx and Jen22.