Looking for opinions

[Trucker67]

Hello...new to board...I was diagnosed at beginning of April 2015 with stage 3 rectal cancer...June I started 5 1/2 weeks of chemo/radiation...post treatment scans revealed shrinkage of tumor..i had resection surgery on Sept.15..biopsy showed no residual tumor..lymph nodes 0/12.
Oncological staff happy with results..however,they still want me to start chemo treatments starting 10/20 consisting of Fluorouracil,Leucovorin and Oxaliplatin.
My question is basically if I'm currently cancer free, do I want to go through the poisoning process,just in case?
Any and all comments/suggestions are welcome.
P.S....I forgot to mention I do have a temp Iliostomy.

[weisssoccermom]

Hello, and welcome to the board. I can only give you my opinion but YES, please do the chemo. You have to remember that your clinical staging was a stage III....because, on some diagnostic test (CT, PET, Ultrasound, etc.) at least ONE lymph node was suspicious....meaning the medical staff had every reason to believe it contained cancer. Once cancer gets in the lymphatic system, it can truly go anywhere. Think of the lymphatic system as an 'interstate' highway system in the body....with lots of interchanges, exits and entrances. All it takes is ONE microscopic cancer cell to be travelling on that 'highway' system and find one of those exits/entrances to any number of places in the body and boom, you've got cancer somewhere else. WHY take that risk? Your doctor only took a small part of your body....and while the pathology reports are promising, how can you be certain that you are cancer free? The chemoradiation 'exterminated' the cancer in THAT SPECIMEN only.....you don't know if there is some cancer cell floating around somewhere else in your body. Now, think of the cancer as a small army. IF you let it bunker down and set up 'shop' in the liver, lungs, etc. you have a much more formidable foe to defeat. Why not 'kill' that small army NOW before it has a chance to regroup and cause more trouble?

I'm not trying to be nothing but doom and gloom but one thing you should learn about cancer is that it is unpredictable and that nothing is off limits. Do the chemo to maximize all your chances. Personally, I would ask to have the oral form of 5FU (Xeloda) for the Fluorouracil. That would also drop the leucovorin (not necessary when taking Xeloda) which tends to be the drug that exacerbates the side effects.

I understand that you feel that you are cancer free right now but honestly you don't know that and neither does any medical professional. The probability that there is one microscopic cell out there is significant. Please consider doing the chemo. It may very well be the 'poison' that saves your life.
Jaynee

[JDinNC]

You will find that most people on the board will suggest doing the chemo. Yes, you were told you are cancer free but you have got to realize that cancer is very sneaky and can hide dormant for sometime. It best to do the chemo to rid these hiding cancer cells. Chemo might be too much for you or you'll have bad side effects but you can always stop treatment or reduce the dosage. Be sure to research the side effects of the type of the chemo you will be doing. This way you will recognize the effects if they do happen. And if you have any other questions, be sure to ask because there will always be someone here who has also gone through it.

Good luck,

Jan

[Kick'nAssCancer'sAss]

I did the chemo even though I also had a complete response. What Jaynee says is 100% spot on. Plus if cancer did come back you truly won't be able to look yourself in the mirror and say that you did everything possible to prevent recurrence. Do the chemo.

[shade]

Sorry you are here but you came to the right place. Your course of treatment so far sounds pretty typical of many of us. I would guess that most of us opted for chemo after resection, but some chose to forego chemo. My oncologist told me chemo would improve my chances. However, some members have pointed out that chemo after surgery doesn't improve your odds much, or at all. Apparently there are studies on this. Its beyond me to interpret the research literature. People that choose chemo feel pretty sure chemo is the best way to go, and people that choose not to get it also feel sure they did the right thing. Basically it is a choice only you can make.

I chose to get chemo. By the time of my surgery, I was stage IV but NED. I probably would have opted for chemo even if they didn't find a liver tumor during my LAR. With my limited knowledge of cancer and how it works, it makes sense to me that chemo increases my chance of a cure, or at least it extends the period I have before I get a recurrence.

Good luck on your decision. I know it is a hard choice. I got through chemo OK but it was a tough slog.

[CRguy]

Rectal Stage 3 = do adjuvant chemo
IMO ... 'cos it is exactly what I did.

Best wishes
CRguy

[cathy123]

For me the decision was about whether I could live with myself if I went against the Drs recommendation and had a recurrence. As many others have said you can always reduce the dose or stop if it hits you too badly. Tough decisions though.

[NZJay]

Chemo is a hard road, but recurrence is harder. Do the chemo. That way you can have no regrets.

Best wishes with your treatment .

[JudeD59]

I was diagnosed as Stage II, T3N0M0. I did my radiation/Xeloda and the LAR. I had 15 nodes removed and all came back clean. The surgeon got good margins. And I will be doing four months of Folfox starting in a few weeks. I have had five abdominal surgeries and not one of them scared me as much as the thought of doing this chemo does, but I'll be doing it anyway. I know it will suck and I know about the possible side effects, but for me personally, I need to know I did everything possible to kill every last stinking cancer cell in my body. I have weighed the risks associated with the chemo against the risk of going through this all over again should I have a recurrence or worse, have spread to somewhere else and I'll take my chances with the chemo.

No one can make the decision for you, but you asked for opinions and mine is yes, do the chemo. It only takes one or two stray cells floating around to start a new tumor. Kill those suckers now before they have a chance to organize.

Good luck whatever you decide and I'm glad you found us. The experience and support here is priceless. I've spent many hours using the search feature and found answers to so many questions and got to read members' actual experiences instead of a pamphlet about possible side effects written by someone who hasn't been through it. I hope you'll take advantage of all this wonderful community has to offer.

Judy

[RickWhosoever]

Trucker,
I was stage 2, did chemo/radiation pre-surgery, had LAR, and just finished post-surgery. Do the chemo. There are days where it will kick your butt and you'll wonder if it's worth. Then I'd look at my kids and say "I'm doing for them". Plus whenever my friends or co-workers are busting my chops about something, I always respond with "I beat cancer, survived chemo with all my hair, so what makes you think I can't handle this"? Yeah it sounds a bit cocky, but they get the point. Think long term, my friend.
Rick

[Mastan]

Hello...new to board...I was diagnosed at beginning of April 2015 with stage 3 rectal cancer...June I started 5 1/2 weeks of chemo/radiation...post treatment scans revealed shrinkage of tumor..i had resection surgery on Sept.15..biopsy showed no residual tumor..lymph nodes 0/12.
Oncological staff happy with results..however,they still want me to start chemo treatments starting 10/20 consisting of Fluorouracil,Leucovorin and Oxaliplatin.
My question is basically if I'm currently cancer free, do I want to go through the poisoning process,just in case?
Any and all comments/suggestions are welcome.
P.S....I forgot to mention I do have a temp Iliostomy.

Don't be misled by early results. I was NED for 2 yrs. post GI surgery. Then the s#%*t came back in spades to my lungs. Never had cancer in any lymph nodes. Still dont 5 yrs later. Many people overlook the superhighway for the spread of cancer. It is not the lymphatic system it it the vascular system. This is why colon cancer moves to the liver snd low rectal cancer moves to the lungs. BTW I did chemo after surgery and it still spread. I do not recommend forgoing chemo because no one has any idea as to whether you have microscopic disease. Hope you come to the correct decision for you.

Mark

[plastikos]

Everyone knows that chemo sucks. It may be even tougher than surgery itself. So the decision is yours and yours alone to make. That being said, do yourself a favor and get the chemo. You are in a better place than lots of other people fighting this disease. Dont blow your chance at being cured.

[Ontario Guy]

One more voice: do the chemo. Just because no-one can find active cancer cells in your bod now doesn't mean that they aren't there, floating around, just waiting for the chance to set up shop again. Statistically, you're far, far better off doing it.

Chemo isn't fun. There are a lot of side effects you should know about in advance (talk to your oncology team), and there are some that linger a lot longer than others. In my case (over three years out) I still suffer from intermittent crushing fatigue and residual peripheral neuropathy.

That said, I'm glad I did the chemo. Better a few days lost to fatigue here and there, and fairly constant tingles in the hands and feet than the unspeakable alternative.

Best,

OG

[ANDRETEXAS]

In one word..."Yes."

[dianetavegia]

With COLON cancer, success if achieved more readily if 12 to 15 lymph nodes are removed. With RECTAL cancer, there are hundreds of lymph nodes and an enormous amount of blood supply (vessels) to that area so usually more lymph nodes are removed and checked.

50% to 75% of Stage III's will eventually become Stage IV. Buy yourself some 'health insurance' and do the chemo. Then be very vigilant because a recurrence caught early can be surgically removed with curative intent.

Best of luck,
Diane