susie0915 wrote:My surgeon scheduled a sigmoidoscopy about 2 weeks after I finished chemoradiation. It was then he told me all that was left was scar tissue and I may not need chemo after surgery. My oncologist ordered a pet scan about 5-6 weeks after chemoradiation and it showed no evidence of cancer especially in the distal rectal area, which is where the original tumor was located.
NHMike wrote:susie0915 wrote:My surgeon scheduled a sigmoidoscopy about 2 weeks after I finished chemoradiation. It was then he told me all that was left was scar tissue and I may not need chemo after surgery. My oncologist ordered a pet scan about 5-6 weeks after chemoradiation and it showed no evidence of cancer especially in the distal rectal area, which is where the original tumor was located.
I think that those are both good and my surgeon likes to use MRIs but my question is about spread to the liver which is usually the first place it spreads if it spreads.
veckon wrote:NHMike wrote:susie0915 wrote:My surgeon scheduled a sigmoidoscopy about 2 weeks after I finished chemoradiation. It was then he told me all that was left was scar tissue and I may not need chemo after surgery. My oncologist ordered a pet scan about 5-6 weeks after chemoradiation and it showed no evidence of cancer especially in the distal rectal area, which is where the original tumor was located.
I think that those are both good and my surgeon likes to use MRIs but my question is about spread to the liver which is usually the first place it spreads if it spreads.
What is the question?
veckon wrote:They will look for suspicious features on other organs each time you get a CT. I am not sure what the protocol is if you do not have any suspicious features on distant organs yet, but I know that every CT is a long term trade off because of the radiation dose. When suspicious features are found, higher resolution or specific scans may be employed to add more evidence in either direction. They showed me my PET scan on a really cool display; the suspicious features on the liver light up if they metabolize the irradiated sugar water they inject you with.
susie0915 wrote:Rockhound,
Good Luck with your reversal. I'm sure all will go well.
ab123 wrote:Hi Mike,
I don't check the board here much anymore - almost 5 years out from 3C rectal - and NED ever since. I was also treated at BWH and DFCI - and I found the team excellent. I did what sounds like the exact same chemorad schedule as you at BWH (down on the LL2 with the Varian Trubeam - if they still have those machines). The surgical team is extremely good and experienced at this surgery - I had a great result with "sphinter sparing" with a very low tumor. Today I have near normal function (just a little more frequent is all).
Good luck and you're in very good hands!
-Andrew
Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 265 guests