esuperbaby wrote:Now, we are waiting for Oncologist consultation for further advise.
May I also hear your valuable comments ..?
Lee wrote:esuperbaby wrote:Now, we are waiting for Oncologist consultation for further advise.
May I also hear your valuable comments ..?
Hi and welcome, sorry for the reason you are here.
Good that you are getting input from the Onc. Stage II is such a grey area. Generally penetration of the tumor will determine whether chemo is needed or not with a stage II. My personal opinion, when in doubt, do the chemo now. It is much easier to deal with cancer as a stage II vs it going to a stage IV down the road.
Also getting a 2nd opinion at a major cancer hospital is always a good idea.
Good luck,
Lee
Beckster wrote:Welcome! I am a Stage 2a just like you...ascending colon with 0/24 lymph nodes, but LVI. Even though LVI is subjective,but because of my age, my onc suggested 6 months of Xeloda as an "insurance policy." I go to MD Anderson, which is a major cancer center. I have no regrets and am 26 months out and no recurrence. Stage II is a grey area, but I felt that I wanted to do anything possible to make sure this cancer did not recur. You can get all my information below and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Surgeons are not oncologists....I am sure that you will get a better picture after you see the onc.
Beckster
weisssoccermom wrote:Stage IIa....rectal cancer.
When your oncologist is mentioning chemo, ask WHAT protocol he/she is talking about. Here are the most common:
FOLFOX: 5FU + oxaliplatin (infusion.....generally with the 5FU you would wear a pump home for 48 hours)
XELOX: Xeloda + oxaliplatin (oxi is infused....Xeloda is a pill....in simplistic terms....Xeloda is the 'oral' form of 5FU)
Both of the above generally require a port to be placed
5FU: infusion.....likely would require a port and a pump
Xeloda: oral form only
What I was told was that the OXI only adds a 2-3% benefit to the 5FU or Xeloda. IF you have no negative prognostic factors (besides LVI, those may include signet cell, mucinous and/or a poorly differentiated tumor) then you should consider talking to your oncologist about XELODA only (you could do 5FU only as well but that would require infusions) and skip the oxi. That would be a decision between you and your oncologist.
My onc was adamant that oxi was NOT indicated for my case but I insisted. I only had ONE infusion of it and stopped because of a horrible reaction. I first tried the 5FU but switched to Xeloda (I didn't like the pump and my reactions on 5FU were much more severe than on Xeloda) and have been fine for the past 11+ years. Personally, I wouldn't skip chemo entirely and if I had to go it again, I would still do the Xeloda and skip the oxi.
I know that you are worried about the side effects but those are not bad on just the Xeloda or even the 5FU. The more severe side effects are generally due to the oxi.
At the very least, talk to your oncologist about options.
Good luck
esuperbaby wrote:Beckster wrote:Welcome! I am a Stage 2a just like you...ascending colon with 0/24 lymph nodes, but LVI. Even though LVI is subjective,but because of my age, my onc suggested 6 months of Xeloda as an "insurance policy." I go to MD Anderson, which is a major cancer center. I have no regrets and am 26 months out and no recurrence. Stage II is a grey area, but I felt that I wanted to do anything possible to make sure this cancer did not recur. You can get all my information below and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Surgeons are not oncologists....I am sure that you will get a better picture after you see the onc.
Beckster
Thanks for your reply. Our background looks quite similar.
May I ask if your Oncologist mentioned how much % would help if chemo would be used as “insurance policy” in your case?
I’m convinced chemo can somehow help to reduce the recurrence, but with the side effect , I’m not sure if I should go for it ...
Hope I will have a better direction after consulting the Oncologist.
Thanks again !
Beckster wrote:esuperbaby wrote:Beckster wrote:Welcome! I am a Stage 2a just like you...ascending colon with 0/24 lymph nodes, but LVI. Even though LVI is subjective,but because of my age, my onc suggested 6 months of Xeloda as an "insurance policy." I go to MD Anderson, which is a major cancer center. I have no regrets and am 26 months out and no recurrence. Stage II is a grey area, but I felt that I wanted to do anything possible to make sure this cancer did not recur. You can get all my information below and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Surgeons are not oncologists....I am sure that you will get a better picture after you see the onc.
Beckster
Thanks for your reply. Our background looks quite similar.
May I ask if your Oncologist mentioned how much % would help if chemo would be used as “insurance policy” in your case?
I’m convinced chemo can somehow help to reduce the recurrence, but with the side effect , I’m not sure if I should go for it ...
Hope I will have a better direction after consulting the Oncologist.
Thanks again !
My onc did not give percentge. He stated that as Stage II...there are 3 scenerios.
1.they either got all the cancer at surgery and chemo would do nothing,
2. some microscopic cells excaped and chemo would take care of it or
3.some microscopic cells excaped and it would recur even with chemo.
I took the pill form, which was quite doable. It is better being safe than sorry, but it is up to you to make the best decision that works for you
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