Cancer Causes

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triordie1994
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri May 06, 2016 1:51 pm

Cancer Causes

Postby triordie1994 » Wed May 11, 2016 10:52 am

Hello, I know one can never really know what caused your cancer but I was wondering what people thought may have caused their cancer?

I was recently diagnosed with T3N1M0 and am awaiting possible chemo therapy after having a right hemicolectomy on April 15th.

Looking back I would think that mine may have been caused by or a symptom of a stressful life situation that occurred over the past 2 years despite being a fit, 2x IM finisher in that time coupled with a high sugar diet.

I know one shouldn't dwell on the past and can drive themselves crazy thinking out this but I was just wondering what people thought other than just BAD LUCK!!
40 yo w/ wife & 3 children
IMMT 2014
IMC 2015
Dx 03/28/16
R/hemi colec 04/15/16
CRC T3N1MO 05/03/16
Pending FOLFOX 12x 2-weeks w/ 2-day infusions
IM? 201?

midlifemom
Posts: 1358
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:58 am
Location: NJ

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby midlifemom » Wed May 11, 2016 11:25 am

I vote for bad luck!
Stage 3 cc - dx Jan '14 age 53, cea 2.9
t2n2m0, KRAS mutant, MSS
Folfox Feb - Aug '14
Nov '14 cea 27.7 -2 liver masses
Dec '14 left lobectomy and HAI
Jan '15 FUDR and FOLFIRI
Aug '15 fudr done, liver clear, add avastin for lungs. Cea 4.3
Feb '16 CEA rising
May '16 2 wk break then drop Iri for 6 weeks.
Jul '16 cancer grew, constricted main bile duct. Stent inserted. On break till jaundice clears. CEA climbing. Doing reduced Folfox. Allergic to Oxali.
Sep'16 chemo failed. Trial or hospice?

CatherineG inAF
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 7:39 am

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby CatherineG inAF » Wed May 11, 2016 11:26 am

I don't know what caused mine but if stress plays part of it, I would add stress. Also, I read that lack of physical activity might lead to it. I have a desk job and I come home and sit on the couch and play on the computer. I have a sedentary lifestyle. When I go out with friends, it is typically to go to restaurant. I'm not physically active. Did my lack of motion play a role in this? Maybe.
53 & Female
Diagnosed in Thailand
DX: Rectal Cancer (RC)
Tumor Location: Rectum
Tumor type: invasive adenocarcinoma
Tumor size: 4 mm
Tumor grade: low grade
Baseline CEA value (4.46) 5/2016
CEA 6/2/2016 4.8
Lynch- Negative.
LAR 7/13/2016 in Seatle, Wa
Home 7/18/2016. SCCA did a good job managing the pain. Waiting lab resulsts

crazylife
Posts: 256
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 11:29 am

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby crazylife » Wed May 11, 2016 11:47 am

We were told bad luck....dead serious!
Wife to DH, 41 years old, diagnosed 11/15
Stage 4, Mod diff, 13/24 LN, 1 liver met
Colon/liver resection at MSK, 11/15
8mm lung met (not confirmed) and enlarged lymph nodes 1/16
12 rounds of folfox (9 with Oxi) 6/16
NED - July 2016
NED - October 2016
3 lung mets - March 2017
7 lung mets, May 2017
RFA to largest met, June 2017
Lung mets growing slowly, October 2017 (off treatment since June 2016)
Right lung surgery, November 2017
Left lung surgery, January 2018
NED - May 2018

AnnClare
Posts: 241
Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2015 3:31 pm

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby AnnClare » Wed May 11, 2016 12:38 pm

No clue. I had none of the 'risk factors.' Never smoked, had a healthy diet, have been active my entire adult life, never been overweight, didn't drink to excess, no family history, yet Dx at 41. Go figure. Stress may have played a role, because I tend to be an anxious person (working on correcting that), and for a while had a job that would literally cause me to have heart palpitations and stomach pains. Left that job in late 2011. My doc said my tumor had likely been growing for 8-10 years, which would've meant it began around 2005 - 2007, prior to my stressful job.

Long story short: no clue. All I can say is that now I don't worry about every little ingredient in food because that didn't seem to make a difference. I also try to not stress about stuff and I currently have a job I love. I'm also trying to be more positive about things.

Unfortunately, I think most of us will never know what caused it. It sucks, but as others have said, a lot of it comes down to crummy luck. I know there's an actual, scientific reason this has happened, but will we find out what that is in our lifetimes? Who knows. Research is always ongoing, so maybe.
42 yr. old female
Rectal cancer Stage 3C T3 N1 M0 - Sept 2015
28 rounds radiation w/Xeloda - Nov - Dec 2015
2/17/16 - Surgery to remove rectal tumor, lymph nodes (2/20+), ovaries & fallopian tubes, temp. ileostomy
3/28/16 - 9/26/16 -12 rounds FOLFOX w/full oxi
Ileo reversal 10/27/16; Port removed 12/1/16
Lung mets confirmed 2/6/17
March-May 2017 - brain mets; brain rad. 5/9-5/29/17

esk2poo
Posts: 499
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2011 7:17 am
Location: New Jersey

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby esk2poo » Wed May 11, 2016 1:08 pm

I graduated valedictorian in high school and I used to be good at math and so were my genes. As time went by, both went downhill with division.
Dx 8/23/11 stage 3b crc
3 of 11 LN's
resection 9/15/11
folfox start 10/31/11 12 sessions
De-ported 6/2012
clear CT 7/2012
Clear colonoscopy 9/2012

ALW
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 9:07 am

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby ALW » Wed May 11, 2016 1:43 pm

Who knows.... I was active, ate healthy, never ate anything artificial or processed. I did live in Japan for 3 years prior to my diagnosis and part of me thinks the radiation from Fukashima might have played a part. Who knows if it was in the fish I ate or the vegetables I consumed. Although the Japanese government will never give a straight answer nor release acurate statistics so I'll never know. Right now I pretty much blame my dumb luck.
Aug '15 Dx rectal cancer stage 2a @ 41 years old
Sept '15 Radiation & Xeloda
12/3/15 LAR with temp ileo - 0/20 nodes
1/5/16 reversal done early due to complications
2/16 Started 5 rounds Xeloda

Noon32316
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun May 08, 2016 11:33 am

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby Noon32316 » Wed May 11, 2016 4:51 pm

I was just thinking about this today. I don't have a strong family history of cancer, adopted a healthier lifestyle beginning 2013, lost a lot of weight, became more active, felt like I was on the right track to a better me. Then the C. I wondered if it was whatever I did or however I was that caused the C. Was it because I didn't exercise enough? Did my sweet tooth do me in? Doctors say bad luck. Sure. Ok. For a tumor this size, it must have started back 10 years ago. Well that was during grad school. Did all the stress of grad school cause this? I have always been an anxious worrier. I worried and stressed about everything and kept to myself a lot because of shyness. I don't know if that contributed to anything. Maybe (not). In my moments of anger I just crumple up paper and think, I did all that work and pushed passed all that stress to earn my degree to end up with cancer? None of these thoughts are helpful but there are days when being positive takes a lot more work than I can handle. I'm working on keeping my spirits up. And if that means eating an extra ginger cookie, then I shall be munching away.
3/16: Dx colon cancer (sigmoid). Age: 36
4/16: PET/CT, Sigmoidectomy, Port installed
5/23/16 to 11/30/16: Folfox - 12 tx, no oxaliplatin for #11 & #12
11/5/16: PET/CT - NED
3/21/17: Colonoscopy = clear
9/27/17: CT scan = pathologically enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes - nodal metastases
10/5/17: CT guided needle biopsy
10/13/17: Confirmed - Recurrence

CEA '16 & '17: < 0.5
Original Dx: Stage 3C, T4a, N2b, Grade 3, 16/16 lymph nodes, infiltrating signet-ring cell carcinoma
Lynch negative

SugarBubbie
Posts: 239
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2011 3:55 pm
Facebook Username: Rhonda Pinkston
Location: Texas

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby SugarBubbie » Wed May 11, 2016 5:42 pm

I believe mine was brought on by my immune system fighting the shingles virus which ive had outbreaks since my 20's. It gave the cancer cells a chance to grow. There is a recent study out of London that shows this could be the case. So now I'm trying to keep the shingles at bay along with the cancer.
DX Stage II anal cancer 2007 age 57
Radiation 6 weeks, Xeloda/oxilaplatin
DX Breast cancer Jun 2011 Stage3 one lymph nodes
Taxol 12 weeks FAC 4 tx, 31 radiations
5 year survivor certificate from MDA 2012 for anal cancer
DX triple neg bc oct 2015 4 rounds adriamyicyn, 20 radiations
"Positivity has no downside"

User avatar
chrisca
Posts: 246
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 10:35 pm
Location: Portland, Oregon

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby chrisca » Thu May 12, 2016 12:21 am

There are many possible causes, this isn't a full list:
Processed food, not enough fiber in the diet, red meat, excessive drinking/smoking, low folic acid, excess sugar consumption, exposure to environmental toxins.

Before starting chemo or radiation:
Get your thyroid, folate, and B12 tested. If male, test your testosterone so you have a baseline as chemo and/or radiation can cause it to drop but your doc may not want to supplement it without knowing what "normal" is for you.
Get a genetic test as the results may change the choice of chemo and/or radiation.

When starting chemo, try to eat healthfully but avoid your favorite foods for a while as chemo can create food sensitivity. I lost the ability to eat some of the things I love not knowing about this. I now have sensitivity to quinoa, roasted red peppers, barley, barley malt and barley malt extract, cream sauces, pumpkin, and some kinds of squash.

Good luck, and keep us posted.
Male, false negative colonoscopy age 48
DX: 12/2010 rectal cancer age 51
Stage T3N0M0 2 cm from anal verge
neoadjuvant rad/chemo Xeloda
Rectal resection (open surgery) straight anastomosis
Xeloda round 2
ileostomy reversal 11/2011
Successful adhesion X-lap 8/2013
Ongoing LAR syndrome but NED 10 years

Ragman
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2016 9:01 am
Location: Baltimore, USA

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby Ragman » Thu May 12, 2016 9:47 am

I definitely drank too much, especially leading up to diagnosis, probably because I was using alcohol to help numb the pain in my stomach and other stresses in my life. Was it the alcohol? Very well may have been, although I have friends and relatives who drank a LOT more than me that haven't gotten colon cancer. Otherwise, I led a very active lifestyle (running, basketball, hiking, lifting weights, etc.) I also had cancer when I was 20 (I am 44 now) and was hit with a TON of radiation in my abdomen as part of the treatment. My gastroenterologist thinks my colon cancer was due to the radiation I received back in 1991. Maybe it was the genetics (still tested negative for Lynch); maybe it was the salami and pepperoni that I liked to eat. Maybe it was my 3-hour daily commute (no longer have to do that), too many bourbon and cokes, or a combination of all of these things. In the end it doesn't matter from an individual perspective. I'm in this boat now and have to ride it out.

In any event, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I already have endured enough cancer-stigma-shaming in my life from well-meaning people who try to get the bottom of what I did to "earn" cancer that I don't let it bother me anymore. That isn't to say that I am not committed to a healthy lifestyle -- I certainly am. But there is only so much you can do. Case in point -- after I finished up chemo in July 2015 I engaged in a rigid diet of vegetables, smoothies, whole grains, etc. and I was running my ass off every other day to get in shape. I was rewarded in December 2015 with news of a new primary cancerous polyp in my colon via a colonoscopy. A total colectomy followed. So while I am working toward a healthy exercise and diet regimen again I am not relying on it to save me. For me, I can't live life with a focus that every action I take is geared toward preventing a recurrence. I would go crazy. Life and cancer just doesn't work that way. I'm going to eat what I want to eat; drink what I want to drink; do what I want to do....
44 yr. old male w/family to live for
Rhabdomyosarcoma - Stage III -- dx 21yrs old -- 1991 & 1992 (surgeries, chemo, & rad)
Colon Cancer - Stage IIC -- 2014
Small bowel and Transverse colon resection -- 2014 (w/adjuvant chemo in 2015)
2nd primary discovered in colon - 2015
Total colectomy w/ileorectal anastomosis - February 2016
*More cumulative exposure to radiation in my life than a resident of Nagasaki in 1945*
"You are only as healthy as you feel" - Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver

triordie1994
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri May 06, 2016 1:51 pm

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby triordie1994 » Thu May 12, 2016 10:33 am

Thanks everyone. You know how your mind wanders when you have time to think.

Updated my signature after my oncology appt. yesturday. Anxious to get started with chemo and get done so I can get back to the business of my normal life.

Take c
40 yo w/ wife & 3 children
IMMT 2014
IMC 2015
Dx 03/28/16
R/hemi colec 04/15/16
CRC T3N1MO 05/03/16
Pending FOLFOX 12x 2-weeks w/ 2-day infusions
IM? 201?

User avatar
Jacques
Posts: 678
Joined: Sun Dec 28, 2014 10:38 am
Location: Occitanie

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby Jacques » Fri May 13, 2016 1:10 am


OrchardWriting
Posts: 53
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:10 am

Re: Cancer Causes

Postby OrchardWriting » Fri May 13, 2016 7:30 am

I'm with bad luck/genes. I know people who drink like fish and smoke and eat crap and nothing, though that will catch up with them eventually. There are others who lived active healthy lifestyles, even vegans and so on, and they are no longer with us.

The one theory that feels like it makes sense, but probably is wrong, is that perhaps we have slow colons so waste sat in the colon for a longer period which allowed unhealthy things to exacerbate polyps or cause irritation that led to something.
Diagnosed with stage III rectal tumor (though probably late stage II) January 2006.
Chemo/Radiation
Full APR Surgery
Folfox Chemo
So far NED.
Ooops. Liver tumor diagnosed 10/13 after elevated CEA. Liver resection for 5cm tumor 12/6/13.


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