Stage progression timelines

[Asterix]

Thanks for the interesting discussion. weisssoccermom,I never thought about skipping stages, but that makes sense. I guess I was looking for any papers that had statistics as this questions relates to a legal case. But I guess it just confirms my initial research that there aren't even trends or guidelines that can be applied.

[weisssoccermom]

Your last statement, I believe, is right on. There are no trends....as with most things cancer related....it's all unpredictable.

[Rockovage]

I just want to thank everybody for a really great informative thread .

I "assumed "after successful surgery , being stage 1 with no positive LN `s I would be cured . I think I better slow down a little and go with NED for awhile .

[Val*pal]

My husband had a routine colonoscopy in late 2007 (upon my urging as well as his doctor's), and nothing was found. Then, in early 2011 he had a scan to pinpoint the location of a kidney stone and the radiologist saw a growth in the colon; he was diagnosed stage IV after surgery (lymph nodes and some indication of cancer cells in abdominal wall). So, while he did the right thing and had a colonoscopy in 2007, the cancer grew in the mean time. The docs have said that he does have an aggressive form, so I suppose it makes sense that it could go from nothing to a sizable tumor in less than 5 years.

One thing that haunts me is the fact that he kept complaining about pain in his lower abdomen in 2010, but he attributed it to his ongoing bouts with kidney stones. However, upon thinking back, the pain was different than what his kidney stones had caused in the past. I know there's no use in looking back, but it's one of those things I think about in the middle of the night.

[tallyho]

I was diagnosed stage I, but I first had symptoms (trace amounts of blood in stool) ten years earlier. And I presented with mild anemia 3-4 years after that. I have no idea if it would have been a large polyp then, or if it was malignant but just very slow growing.

[jimc]

might be interesting to some with regards to this discussion:

http://www.maths.ed.ac.uk/~antal/Mypapers/lesion08.pdf

[janeandrea]

In January of 2007, I had a pelvic CT scan in the ER to check for appendicitis or ectopic pregnancy, as I was having lower right sharp abdominal pains. Nothing was seen on the scan at all.

In December of 2007, a colonoscopy revealed a low rectal tumor, staged at that point as Stage IIIc. We later realized I had lung mets that were thought to be something else, so I was re-staged to Stage IV at dx.

So in one year I went from nothing to Stage IV.

[Ehut]

might be interesting to some with regards to this discussion:

http://www.maths.ed.ac.uk/~antal/Mypapers/lesion08.pdf

Thanks for the article. It's an interesting read.

[weisssoccermom]

A pelvic CT - particularly in the rectal region - wouldn't necessarily see a small tumor so in reality...you could have had something there but too small to see.

[janeandrea]

A pelvic CT - particularly in the rectal region - wouldn't necessarily see a small tumor so in reality...you could have had something there but too small to see.

Yes, I agree that there was probably a polyp or something...perhaps "nothing" was the wrong word to use. I just know that my onc and surgeon told me that my tumor was a particularly aggressive one, going from not visible to - oh, my, I forgot how big my primary tumor was! How funny! - Well, large enough to have grown through the rectal wall and to metastasize to my lungs,

[cptmac]

If you want to know about your particular case, why not ask your doc. My docs guesstimated it started when I was 16 years old. Mine was a very slow growing cancer, and since I exercised and ate right, I probably helped slow the progression even further.

They guesstimated it spread to my liver at least three years before I was diagnosed at the age of 43. You do the math on the progression from there.

Hard to believe I was living with cancer that long. Yet I maxed out my military physical fitness tests all the time. I had no symptoms... So you guys shouldn't beat yourself up that you didn't think to have a colonoscopy sooner. If I even had hemorroids, someone may have suggested a colonoscopy. I was just lucky I went to a bad doctor who recommended one for my food allergies. I was lucky that when the GI doc thought it was a bit drastic to have a colonoscopy when my blood work was fine and I felt great, that I am curious enough about the medical sciences that I had a colonoscopy anyway.

But when a CT scan came to town in my 30's, I thought about paying out of pocket to have one, so that I could even have a baseline of my youthful body to compare to my old body. They might have found it then. But the chemo drugs we have today weren't around them. Maybe if I did that, it would have come back. Maybe I would have needed an ostomy...

But I quit beating myself up a long time ago. It helps that I'm fortunate to be alive today... It helped me a lot when the docs kept telling me that normally when we see cancer in a patient so young, genetics are more likely to be blamed than lifestyle, so I quit looking at what I did wrong. But who could forsee this, generations ago... How many of you today, are eating well and keeping physically fit, so that your children/grandchildren/etc might forgo this? How many of us are using the sunscreen that doesn't penetrate your skin (I didn't even know there was a difference until a month ago). How many of you are not using BPA's or not eating GMO food, or using your wireless devices wisely. We won't know what the effects of these will be, until long after we're gone. But with the study of epigenetics, it shows that some things can effect future generations adversely.... Even a small gesture as how much time you're held by your mother when your a baby can effect his genetics, and thus his children's genetics... and so on and so forth...

So, find an answer that will help put your mind at ease, that no one could forsee this coming... Even most of my docs haven't had a colonoscopy at 50.... And THEY should know better.

[WorriedWife]

This is something I think about, but honestly do not dwell on...just more of a curiosity for me. My colorectal surgeon told me with confidence that my sigmorectal tumor (which was huge) had been there for 8-10 years. Well, OK, I'd had symptoms for about that long (they'd decided it was IBS). My son, who worried more about the possibility of cancer than I did, didn't laugh when I would say "Look, if it was cancer, I'd be dead by now ( ). When I had my resection, 2 of 22 nodes were positive, but both dead...already burned out, before any treatment. Then, I had one very large posterior caudate lobe liver met (around 6 x 5 cm as I recall). There were no positive nodes anywhere around it, and the caudate lobe is the little one between the big left and right lobe. The tumor occupied almost the entire lobe, and the entire lobe, was removed in 4/10. I have been cancer free since then. Amazingly good fortune, and in December, I will be 4 years since diagnosis. My liver surgeon was certain the liver tumor had been there 4+ years. So I thought, well, heck, I was almost a 5 year survivor before I was diagnosed! (of course, we don't count it like that!) I count so many miracles for me along the way, and wonder if my met had not been where it was if it would have spread throughout my liver prior to being diagnosed. Also, that it appears to have just sat there doing not much of anything for so long. I have had my CTC (circulating tumor cells) checked three times, even though my onc doesn't like the test, and they've always been 0. Cancer is such a strange, disgusting, horrible killer. I.JUST.CAN'T.WAIT until it's figured out!

Bev

Hi Bev,
How do you get your CTC checked? Is this something everyone should do? Wow, I never heard of it....I wonder if my hubby should do this?

[Brenda]

I've wondered about this so much. What I don't understand is how my mom could have gone for a colonoscopy in 2006 and had a clear check no polyps or anything and then go back for her next 5 yr later 2011 and she is already stage 4 with "too numerous to count" liver mets????????????????? How is this possible??? It drives me crazy with wonder and how???? Now I was told off course that I need a colonoscopy I'm 43, so I did and it came back clear. They told me to come back in 5 years???? same length of time it took my moms to grow to stage 4. ykes!!!! It is all such a very scary mystery. The only thing I've learned from all of this that is for sure........CHERISH EVERY DAY FOR IT IS A BLESSING!!