Postby weisssoccermom » Tue Aug 29, 2017 11:12 pm
People DO have radiation after surgery - it is not that uncommon. Sometimes people with colon cancer lower down in the tract find that after surgery the pathology report indicates that clean margins were not obtained. In that case, it is very common for the patient to have radiation. Generally, the CLINICALLY stage I rectal cancer patient (staged prior to any treatment) is not offered neoadjuvant (prior to surgery) chemoradiation. However, in some of those cases, after surgery, the pathology report indicates that perhaps one or more nodes were involved or perhaps the tumor really wasn't a T1/T2...but rather a T3. So, the pathology report really is the indicator if the patient needs adjuvant chemoradiation.
There have been members on this board who have had radiation after surgery.....while not the 'norm' it is not that uncommon. As for the diagnosis of cancer being between a stage I and II....well again, that depends. My gut feeling says that your friend had rectal cancer and just doesn't want to say it.....but that's just my speculation. Rectal cancer patients are clinically staged based on tests....the EUS, & CT and/or MRI. No test is 100% perfect and each medical professional interprets the depth penetration ever so slightly differently....unless, of course, the views are clearly and plainly seen. In my case, my EUS report states that the views seem to indicate penetration into the.....so the radiologist erred on the side of caution and stated that the tumor was a T3. However, my surgeon, who also looked at the same picture (months later....I changed surgeons) said, in her opinion, the tumor was a late stage T2. That would have meant the difference between a stage IIA or a stage I. I was staged a stage IIA....but who knows if I truly was a stage I? It really doesn't matter though.....nothing is going to change anything.
No two cases are the same. If your friend had surgery in say late October, he would have had to wait at least 6 weeks to recover before starting any treatment. Now, if his wound didn't heal, if he was sick, if he wanted to wait until after the holidays....any number of things, it could easily be possible that chemoradiation didn't start until January. Not saying it is ideal but....do you know all of the reasons WHY he didn't start treatment until January? It could be that he didn't really even want to have the treatments and had to be talked into them.
As for the mets showing up, nothing about cancer is predictable. Personally, I wouldn't be bringing up anything to your friend about questioning his oncologist. There are more members than you think who were originally diagnosed as stage I/II who later developed distant mets. Without having to do much thinking, I can think of Eric (brownbagger), Terry, Nancy and "C" (I am not sure she wants her name revealed) who were all either initially staged as either stage I or II and who all ended up getting mets. Your friend is undoubtedly going through some tough times right now and honestly, I wouldn't put the idea in his head that 'if he had done this' or 'if his doctor had only done this', etc. because whhat good does it do...what is it going to change? Absolutely nothing. What has happened has happened and he needs to deal with the hand that he has been dealt without speculating about the 'what ifs'. Trust me....he's doing enough of that himself...wondering why he didn't get scoped earlier or why he ignored his symptoms, etc.
I've been on this board for over 10 years now and have read so many stories and have made a lot of friends here. My advice....just be there for your friend. If he wants to talk....be there to listen but let him take the lead.
Dx 6/22/2006 IIA rectal cancer
6 wks rad/Xeloda -finished 9/06
1st attempt transanal excision 11/06
11/17/06 XELOX 1 cycle
5 months Xeloda only Dec '06 - April '07
10+ blood clots, 1 DVT 1/07
transanal excision 4/20/07 path-NO CANCER CELLS!
NED now and forever!
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