Colon cancer stage IV

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
NicLee14
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu May 17, 2018 1:58 pm

Colon cancer stage IV

Postby NicLee14 » Thu May 17, 2018 2:35 pm

Hello,
Everything started in february when my father told me that he has some blood in the stool and is probably from an internal hemorroid.After some days he started to have diarrhea but after 2 weeks stopped but he was still having some pain irradiating in the back area and blood in the stool occassionaly. Everything was on and off and in april he got a colonoscopy and they discovered a 7 cm sigmoido-rectal partially obstructing mass.
On 04/21/2018 he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, one big liver metastasis that is in the right lobe and they are suspecting lung mets too but being very small they couldn`t be sure that are cancerous even after he did PET scan.
He started chemotheraphy on 05/07/2018 and the doctor said he`ll have every week one IV session with Oxaliplatin and monday to friday is taking Xeloda two times per day for 7 weeks.
He`s on his second week of treatment and his blood test results are great ,everything is in normal range but the pain from the colon mass is very intense if he is not taking pain killers and this worries me and I am having all kinds of thoughts that maybe he is not responding to the treatment.
The doctor said that he has 30% chances to be cured if the cancer did not spread to the lungs because the liver met and colon mass ca be surgicaly removed.
His oncologist reffered him to radiotherapy too for the colon mass and he`ll start from the next week the treatment every day from monday to friday for 5 weeks.
After that they said they`ll make another CT scan to see if the tumors are shrinked and if they will be then they`ll do the surgery.
I was wondering if anybody else is or have been in the same situation and how can we see if chemotheraphy is working beside the scans and CEA lab test because he doesn`t have any side effects yet but the fact that the pain didn`t decrease it keeps me worried.
Thank you
My Father
DX age 55
04/21/2018 Stage IV Colon Cancer Simoido-rectal
04/25/2018 liver mets and suspecting lung mets too on CT scan
05/01/2018 PET scan liver metastasis in right lobe and in the lungs very smal nodules that they can`t say for sure is cancer
05/07/2018 FOLFOX
05/24/2018 will start radiotherapy for the colon mass

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Colon cancer stage IV

Postby NHMike » Thu May 17, 2018 4:03 pm

It took about two or three weeks with the Xeloda and Radiation before I cold see the effects on the tumor (it started shedding and passing got easier). It was painful for me (my tumor was 100 cubic centimeters) as well and I worried that it wasn't shrinking; until I had evidence that it was. I did not have Oxaliplatin up front (before surgery). This sounds like a new protocol or one that I haven't heard of before.

Radiation is very powerful stuff for killing tumors but it has side-effects too. It's tough to go though this and the worry can be a killer. My doctors weren't all that worried about it and that was somewhat frustrating to me. I just wanted them to cut it out of me back then.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

stu
Posts: 1613
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2013 5:46 pm

Re: Colon cancer stage IV

Postby stu » Thu May 17, 2018 5:55 pm

Hi ,
I just want to wish your dad all the very best with his treatment . My mum had a good bit of pain during treatment with her colon tumour . It got irritated by the chemo and pulled quite a bit as it shrank . I guess there would be scar tissue.
As you can see in my signature she got a good response to chemo and continues to keep well .
Take care,
Court
supporter to my mum who lives a great life despite a difficult diagnosis
stage4 2009 significant spread to liver
2010 colon /liver resection
chemo following recurrence
73% of liver removed
enjoying life treatment free
2016 lung resection
Oct 2017 nice clear scan . Two lung nodules disappeared
Oct 2018. Another clear scan .

NicLee14
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu May 17, 2018 1:58 pm

Re: Colon cancer stage IV

Postby NicLee14 » Fri May 18, 2018 4:24 pm

Hello,
Thank you for your responses. Truly appreciate it.I wish you all the very best with your treatments.
My Father
DX age 55
04/21/2018 Stage IV Colon Cancer Simoido-rectal
04/25/2018 liver mets and suspecting lung mets too on CT scan
05/01/2018 PET scan liver metastasis in right lobe and in the lungs very smal nodules that they can`t say for sure is cancer
05/07/2018 FOLFOX
05/24/2018 will start radiotherapy for the colon mass


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 122 guests