Have the radiology report....what does this mean for my dad?

[Licoriceky2]

ok, I recently posted on some help with my dad, and I now have more information. He is stage four with metastic colon cancer. The problem has been in the lungs. We are done with chemo, his body has "rejected" same and over the past four years he has run through just about the entire chemo lineup available to him. Radiation is not an option nor is surgery. He sounds ok on the phone (I have not seen him in a month since we live 1300 miles apart), but I am trying to get some idea of exactly how bad this is - especially since it looks like we are out of options and our only hope is clinical trials, which frankly do not appear promising for him to be admitted into. I have asked my father for some definition of time, and he states that he does not speak of that with his doctors and will not. My place is with my father for the last part of his life (as he as also said he wants), but with two small children to pack and make arrangements for, I need or would like some sort of definition of what our time frame is. This is what I have from the radiology report of last week:

"FULL RESULT:
Examination: CT Chest with IV contrast, 5/6/2014 2:42 PM

Clinical History: MET COLON CANCER

Indication: MET COLON CANCER

Comparison: 03/03/2014

Technique: Spiral CT of the chest is performed using intravenous contrast.

Findings:
Multiple lung nodules are appreciated bilaterally. Some of these appear to be similar in size but several appear to be larger, for example, the lesion in the right lower lobe (IMA 71 series 4) measures 1.6 cm compared to 1.1 cm on the prior examination. The lesion in the left lower lobe (IMA 61 of series 4) measures 1.5 cm compared to 1 cm on the prior exam. Lymphadenopathy, for example at the carina and along the right hilum, appear to have progressed as well.

Moderate coronary artery calcifications imply atherosclerosis. The left long line terminates at the SVC. There is minimal degenerative change of the spine.


Mild dependent atelectasis is appreciated.

Please see the abdomen CT report of the same day for findings in the abdomen.

IMPRESSION:
Overall progression of metastatic disease since 03/03/2014. "



Can anyone explain to me exactly what we have or are looking at, time wise? Obviously, it appears to be fairly rapid growth, and at this point I would assume we are beyond treating. Any help or opinions are GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.

[janklo]

I don't know if anyone can answer that. My daughter, who was 28, had cancer all over her small intestine and peritoneum and was recovering from pneumonia. The docs said "days" but she lived 3 1/2weeks. God does work in mysterious ways.

Does your dad have other health issues? How old is he? Will he give you a medical poa so you can talk with his docs on the phone? Did they mention hospice or palliative care?

[Licoriceky2]

Thank you for your reply. My father is 70, very fit, very health conscious, and most people would never guess that he is as sick as he is. He does not look ill at this time. He sounds well on the phone, but he is starting to cough more. I have spoke to his providers in the past, but nothing recently. He denies that MD Anderson spoke of hospice or of "time" however he did mention hospice four times last week in one conversation.

[Patience]

My husband's mets (that cause the his major complications) are in both lungs, the same as your Father. My husband's lung tumors are larger than your Dad's, and have been so for about 2 years. One of his tumors is about 5 cm, and the other about 4 cm. Hopefully this is an encouraging comparison for your Dad's situation, in that your Dad's are much smaller. Of course, the growth rate can make a big difference in how quickly things change.

What did the abdominal CT show?