Postby mpbser » Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:56 pm
Husband is home, thank goodness. He and I had a chance to speak a bit about the two courses of action his MGH liver surgeon spoke of: Plan A -- heal up from last week's colectomy, then two months chemo, then liver surgery, then four months chemo (seems to be the recommended plan but we will know for sure at our September 12th appointment with his oncologist) versus Plan B -- heal up from last week's colectomy, then liver surgery, then chemo.
If I understand correctly, Plan A would be in the hope that chemo shrinks the right lobe tumor a bit so it would be easier to remove as it is up against a blood vessel and could be chipped out, thus saving the whole lobe.
Given its size and how fast its size may have increased since the June 30th MRI, our concern is whether chemo will be able to have any shrinking effect on it at all. If it's that rapidly growing, then chemo might just stabilize its size.
Also factoring in the tiny spots on the same lobe and the additional option of resecting that entire lobe (30% of the liver) thus avoiding any future growths and/or surgeries for that area, if husband decides to go that route, then chemo for two months prior to surgery would not seem to make any sense.
My husband and I always request rational explanations for why certain treatments are recommended compared to others and hope we get some answers at the upcoming appointment.
Wife 4/17 Dx age 45
5/17 LAR
Adenocarcinoma
low grade
1st primary T3 N2b M1a
Stage IVA
8/17 Sub-total colectomy
2nd primary 5.5 cm T1 N0
9 of 96 nodes
CEA: < 2.9
MSS
Lynch no; KRAS wild
Immunohistochemsistry Normal
Fall 2017 FOLFOX shrank the 1 met in liver
1/18 Liver left hepatectomy seg 4
5/18 CT clear
12/18 MRI 1 liver met
3/7/19 Resection & HAI
4/1/19 Folfiri & FUDR
5/13/19 HAI pump catheter dislodge, nearly bled to death
6-7 '19 5FU 4 cycles
NED