Stage IIIb wTumor Deposit 11% survival??

[TracieLynn]

I was reading a recent post from Ipas (below) and reviewing my pathology report when I was blind sided by Extra Mural Deposits and 11% for 5 year survival rate?? I am T3N1a and my pathology includes "one tumor deposit". I know our futures are not defined by stats but holy hell!

I'm with Ipas on level of concern. Assuming I am reading this correctly-anyone else in this stage with tumor deposits that did anything other than standard care? Or has any feedback? Thanks!
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=52039&p=406763&hilit=Metronomic#p406763

[Annemiek]

Remember, those stats are from 5 years ago, since, a lot has changed, but as those patients haven't passed the 5 year mark yet, those stats aren't there yet. Treatments changed
Personally, I'm glad with the agressive surgery I got, I had a precautionary hipec, and loads removed as one bulk Lump, however 12 out of 60 lymphe nodes removed is pretty scary.
I finish folfox in two weeks and I'm so glad it's over. I will most likely start aspirin, and excercise myself very very fit. I will not go on a very specific diet, just loads of veggies, fruit, less sugary products, small pieces of meat from a proper source. Go bio/ whole food equivalent where possible.
I will not cut out complete foodgroups as I don't see the benefit over the risk,I will certainly not drink raw kale smoothies etc.

Maybe I'm lucky, maybe I'm not. The sloan ketering stats show 60% survival chances, the proper dutch stats show 30%. The second opinion professor said 50-50.
We'll see. I'm looking forward to starting up our lives again and will try to enjoy every minute i can, positive attitude sure can't hurt, can it?

we will see, is it scary to let go? Yes very much, butt, stress on what is to come doesn't help either, so I'll save that for the scanxiety two weeks before each scan. That's the most I can do I guess.

All good resolutions aside, I just don't know what is going to happen. Why do some get it back and why do some live?

Don't know if this helps.
Good luck with making these choices together,
In the meantime, try to enjoy life as much as you can, short term, or long term.

Annemiek

[Nik Colon]

Please don't look at stats, they are old, plus, it's individual. Best wishes

[TracieLynn]

Thanks for the replies. I don't normally focus on any stats but the number popped out at my and head exploded. To see something so low when I've been feeling positive with the IIIB staging I was given. Staying on course, and will remain diligent. I do see how people would like maintenance chemo with those stats. But I am trying to plan a trip post chemo before ileostomy reversal ties me to the toilet! One day at a time...

[CLD]

My husband had 1 tumor deposit, or "satellite tumor" in the mesentery. The surgeon said stage was IIIC. Oncologist says Stage 4 but gave him 60% chance of a cure. Im guessing they take other factors into consideration such as tumor mutations, lymhovascular invasion, ect. It's not the 100% Id prefer, but not the dire 11% either. He just had second scan today and we are hoping to find out that he is still cancer free.

[Nik Colon]

FYI, I was stage 4 and currently NED, hoping to stay that way, currently still doing adjuvant chemo, 3 left, so stay positive! You can look at my sig for more details

[lpas]

Hi Tracie,

That was my old post you found and linked, so I totally understand where you're coming from. The numbers in that study are pretty scary. My oncologist declined to give me a second six months of Xeloda but FYI there are some other things I've been doing over the past 9 months since my diagnosis to try and improve my odds. Here's a quick rundown:

Vitamin D -- trying to increase my blood levels up to the 80s or 90s. Currently I'm supplementing 10,000IU a day. I'd definitely talk to your doctor about getting tested if you haven't already.
Cimetidine (Tagamet) -- 800mg a day at bedtime. Take a look through the archives for lots of information on this. See rp1954's posts in particular. He is a wealth of great information.
Celecoxib (Celebrex) -- 400mg a day. There's a clinical trial that's been looking at the efficacy of celecoxib for Stage IIIs. I asked my oncologist to let me emulate it and he agreed.
Baby aspirin -- one a day. See this study:

http://loudounoncology.com/2015/03/23/treatment-outcomes-in-stage-iii-colon-cancer-appear-better-in-aspirin-cox-2-inhibitor-users-2/

See also the recommendations here, many of which I've followed (curcumin, PSK, green tea, modified citrus pectin, etc.):

http://www.lifeextension.com/Protocols/Cancer/Colorectal/Page-01

Most recently, I've also been working with the Mederi Foundation and following the Donnie Yance protocol (he is a renowned herbalist). If you do a search on the term "Yance" you'll see a number old posts that talk about this approach. See in particular, posts by user miked whose wife Angie was diagnosed Stage IV in 2008 and is now NED.

There also seems to be some good research out there on the benefits of regular exercise in preventing recurrence (particularly among those who didn't exercise frequently prior to their diagnosis).

And last but not least, I've been trying to eat more cruciferous vegetables, along with a diet that's lower on the glycemic index (fewer simple carbs). You'll find lots of info and research on dietary modifications in the book, "Anti-Cancer," by David Servan-Schreiber.

Hope this is helpful!

[wandalein]

I want everyone to know about magnesium too. My husband who has not done chemo (and is doing great, knock wood) has been doing natural plant based Oncolyn supplement, and tumeric supplement as well as lots of Vitamin D. However in researching cancer fighting things like Dandelion root tea we found a lot of magnesium was involved. He has now added the Magnesium Citrate as a supplement three times a day. In about 3 weeks he had an amazing shift in his feeling of wellness and vitality and incredibly he is sleeping like a baby. In the 30 years I have been married to him I have never known him to sleep through the night or sleep so deeply. At first I pushed him to see if he was still breathing and although he twitched he did not wake up, which is incredible to me because normally if I even change position I wake him up.

[TracieLynn]

Thank you Julie and wandalein (and all)! My primary goal to try to get NED. My last CEA before starting xelox was 3.3. My first infusion was tough, had a couple of decent days then on my 6 day break off Xeloda I crashed hard. Hoping to complete the 4 cycles my dr recommended. The Oxi hits me hard. I am doing some PSK, cimetidine, and vit D3. But I appreciate the information and will up your recommendations. Just want to set myself up for success!!

[MamaN]

Hi just want say , I'm IIIB with tumor deposits and I had lymphovascular Invasion , sorry I don't understand this 11 percent you are talking about . I'm here to let you know I just celebrated my 5 yrs . In August 2010 I had tumor removed and did chemo . I wish you the best of luck

[PainInTheAss]

Also, please understand that the general term "survival" really means recurrence rates. There are separate stats for overall survival (those still alive). So, in other words, if the 11 percent is not Overall Survival, it means that 89% tracked had a recurrence of some type in that 5 years. I am IIIc and the recurrence survival rate is only 33%, meaning 67% of those tracked get a recurrence of some type in 5years. My Onc says chemo raises that for a IIIc to 60%, but I honestly think he's juggling the numbers to make it seem more optimistic. I just choose to believe I'll land in that group that doesn't get a recurrence. I met a guy who had Mersa and was given a 1% chance of survival and he lived so any chance is a chance.

[TracieLynn]

Painintheass and MamaN: thank you so much for sharing!!!
I am trying to lighten up and stop looking at numbers, also
I am still working on interpreting data without having heart
Palpitations (!!!) lol.

[MamaN]

Your welcome , I did standard care . Good luck to you dear .