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Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 5:44 pm
by Daniellabella
Does stage 3C recital cancer inevitably lead to stage 4?

I know miracles are possible and only God knows, but I guess what I’m asking is if anyone here was diagnosed with 3C recital and never progressed to stage 4.

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 5:47 pm
by Caat55
Thats what treatment is all about.

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 5:50 pm
by Daniellabella
Caat55 wrote:Thats what treatment is all about.


My husband has been refusing treatment. Has to have ileo before chemo/rad....has canceled ileo twice. Is scheduled for surgery tomorrow, we’ll see....

He’s already saying he won’t do mop up chemo and is “open to trying” Xeloda after ileo.

It’s been 2 1/2 months since his diagnosis and still no treatment. *If* he goes they with ileo tomorrow, it will be over 3 months since he was diagnosed by the time he can start chemo.

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 7:04 pm
by Phillypatient
That’s strange. The standard is to begin with radiation along with small dose chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. What exactly is his disagnosis?

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 10:48 pm
by Daniellabella
Phillypatient wrote:That’s strange. The standard is to begin with radiation along with small dose chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. What exactly is his disagnosis?


Recto-sigmoid tumor, stage 3C, T3-4a, N2, M0.

They are worried he’ll form a life-threatening blockage during chemo/radiation, so both the radiologist and oncologist are calling for an ileostomy before treatment begins.

His symptoms are so bad, I think he’s actually Stage 4.

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:49 am
by Phillypatient
Ah, got it.
Also, to clarify, they are not doing a resection of the rectum, just putting a temp ileostomy to avoid blockage during treatment, correct?

If so, I will say an ileostomy is not so bad because it may just be temporary.
Also, stage 4 is when the cancer has metastasized to other organs, generally, liver or lungs, in the case of rectal cancer.
Honestly, with this disease, my experience was that the radiation and even the chemo weren’t so bad. You eventually get back to your old self with time. The surgery is, however, brutal, which is why respectable centers like MSK and Mayo are trying to find non-surgical ways to solve this problem. Looking back, if I were to draw a hypothetical “line in the sand,” it would be at the surgery. The presurgery treatment may actually be curative in some instances, so I would advise him to get on with the initial treatments. He’ll have plenty of time to think about the surgery in the future.

I hope this helps and I understand where your spouse is coming from.

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 3:06 am
by ocstacy
My mom had Stage 3 Rectal cancer. The radiation shrunk the tumor so small that there wasn't really anything for the surgeon to get during surgery. There were no lymph's involved thank goodness. The 1st surgery was brutal recovery cause my mom is older. She ended up having a pus filled sac infection. Than the last surgery which was the reversal, she had a hernia, they had to repair. She is not in remission thank goodness.. hoping that her plumbing will be working again and has more control soon. You can do it too!

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 5:04 am
by NHMike
I've had chemo/radiation, surgery, an ileostomy and adjuvant chemo. I'd say that all of these were challenging in their own ways and one person may find one of them harder than the others.

I lived with the ileostomy for nine months and got used to it. There were some annoyances with it but there are some annoyances without it too. The intent, though, is to make the process easier.

I've seen many Stage 4 CRC cancer patients get to NED status.

I was quite eager to get started with treatment as the growing tumor was getting more and more uncomfortable and I was worried that waiting would create more problems. Cancer treatment is also a marathon and the sooner you start, the sooner you finish.

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 7:46 am
by tminor5
My husband has stage 3. He was close to stage 4. The only reason he was not is because he didn’t have cancer anywhere else. He went into the ER with a bowel blockage. His was all emergency surgery and had no choice. He has a colostomy because of it. He should have a reversal after chemo is complete. He is doing well. He goes to work everyday. He works 1/2 a day the days he gets chemo and the pump put on. He has really had no issues with his colostomy. He had NEVER even had an IV until he went into the ER. We were told 35% survival rate at 5 years without chemo and like 75% with. And that was with him already having the surgery to remove the cancer.

I know it will delay the treatment longer but maybe get a second opinion to see if they would do chemo/radiation first and then look at surgery? Maybe if he hears it from a second dr it will help?

Re: Stage 3 rectal cancer....

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:38 am
by Lee
I was diagnosed with stage IIIC rectal cancer in 2004 (over 14 yrs ago) and I never went to stage IV. It would be 4 yrs later when I realized I probably beat my cancer. I understand your fear, butt yes there are many of us out there.

Good luck,

Lee