Hello all,
This is all very new to me so I apologize in advance.
My girlfriend, 28, was recently diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. She started having symptoms in January and the cancer was found in June. She underwent surgery in July and the tumor was removed. 4 out of 28 lymph nodes positive. The surgeon said there was a perforation at some point (no perforation at time of surgery) which caused an abscess to grow on the outside of her colon. The surgeon was optimistic and said she had a 70% chance of survival (5 year survival rate).
Fast forward to August. We meet with the oncologist and discuss treatment plans, prognosis, etc. She opted for CAPOX and started her treatment on Tuesday. The oncologist said she has a 70% chance of survival and there is a 25%-30% chance of reoccurrence with chemo. The oncologist was also optimistic and told us she has a very good chance of beating this.
Since her diagnosis, I have been doing some research. I know not to trust the internet but there are a few things I'm concerned about. Based on what I've read, there is a staging process for colon cancer, TNM. The oncologist never discussed this with us. She never discussed the tumor size, how far it spread, the grade, etc. She never told my girlfriend whether she was 3a, 3b, or 3c. Is this normal? I believe my girlfriend would be stage 3c because of the perforation and lymph node numbers. Based on what I read, the survival rate is lower and chance of reoccurrence is higher for stage 3c compared to what we were told. I know these are just numbers and every case is different but I'm worried the doctor isn't telling us certain things and isn't being transparent. Does anyone know exactly how the oncologist determines the prognosis? Is it based on the individual or is it just a blanket number, i.e. all stage 3 have about 70% chance of survival? Is she giving us those number so that we remain optimistic? I understand if that's the case but I also think it's important for the oncologist to give us the whole picture so we know what to expect.
Also, any advice on what I can do to support her? I want to be there the best I can so any advice is appreciated.