CT Scan today

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skb
Posts: 114
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2017 2:00 pm

Re: CT Scan today

Postby skb » Fri Sep 27, 2024 10:47 am

Pagola44 wrote:Very upsetting to hear
Praying for you beach
This makes me think supplements don't even help much ;(
I'm on turkey tail, vitamin d, tumeric etc. I wonder if if even does anything?


Pagola44,
Please do not jump to the conclusion that supplements don't help much. Everyone's body biology and disease stage is different and it could have varying effectiveness on different people. Personally, I am not sure whether they help or not.

Regarding supplements, there is one thing I want to share with you though. And that is to try to ensure that the products we use are minimally tainted.
I saw this article on npr today about how the additional dye that vendors add on to turmeric was responsible for lead posioning-
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and- ... bangladesh

I asked my oncologist about Turkey tail mushrooms and his advice was that it could be a risk taking it during chemo because he does not know yet whether it enhances or reduces the effectiveness of chemotherapy. So I backed off although I wanted to take it. There was a Netflix show by name Fantastic Fungi. It seemed to advertize the healing and calming power of mushrooms.


The world cancer research international posted new guidance for people living withcolorectal cancer here-
https://www.wcrf.org/latest/news-and-up ... al-cancer/
It says:
"People diagnosed with colorectal cancer should consider increasing their dietary intake of wholegrain foods, and reducing their sugary drink intake."

Good luck in your journey. Your journey is starting and I pray it does not get worse.
3/17: Dx T3N0M0-mid rectal 4.5cm
4/18 to 5/17: chemoradiation- Xeloda and daily radiation (25 doses)
6/17: clean biopsy, clean scans
8/17: MRI - no evidence of tumor, no surgery, starts wait and watch
8/17 to 12/17: Folfox
8/19 VATS - 1cm lung nodule
7/21- Clean CT, CEA 15.6 !
8/21- PET , biopsy finds met in abdomen
10/21- Surgery , 12 rounds of FOLFIRI -ended 4/22
4/22 to 1/23- Clean scan, normal CEA
10/23- four sub-centimeter lung nodules, on Xeloda
9/24: CEA 5.6, largest nodule 7x7mm

zephyr
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:31 am

Re: CT Scan today

Postby zephyr » Fri Sep 27, 2024 6:39 pm

Let me start with a disclaimer: I may not know what I'm talking about. That being said, if you decide to go back to Germany, you ~may~ want to consider discussing with Dr. Kern or another surgeon the complications of having multiple thoracotomies. My first two surgeries were in Germany and then I had a third one at MSK towards the end of Covid when I was less comfortable traveling internationally. During/after the third surgery, there were comments about getting around scar tissue from the prior surgeries. It's my understanding (and I could easily be wrong about this) that you can only go in so many times before it becomes too much of a mess to navigate. If that's correct, you may want to be more strategic in how you time a return to Coswig with the thought that this might be the last time Germany is an option. For example, and I'm just typing off the top of my head here, maybe you want to have a PET scan before you consider surgery, or maybe you want to have a minimum size of all nodules or something. This is not an issue for you but it might help show what I mean about being strategic: when I went, I had one small nodule in my right upper lobe that the former head of thoracic surgery at a major U.S. cancer center told me he didn't think he could identify and remove on its own (without taking a section). It was just too small. Dr. Kern was able to remove it but I got the feeling even he was a little surprised at his success. If I had gone to Germany with that tiny nodule thinking it might be my last chance with the laser, would I have waited until it was a little larger? Maybe...

Whatever decision you make, you'll have all of us supporting and cheering you on.
Nov-2009 Early stage CRC, routine colonoscopy
2010-2014 F/U colonoscopies, all clear
Jun-2016 CRC during F/U colonoscopy, surgery, Stage 4, KRAS, MSS
Aug-2016-May-2018 Folfox, 5FU, Folfiri & Avastin
Aug/Sep-2018 YAG laser surgeries (Germany), 11 nodules removed
Nov-2018 clean CT scan
Mar-2019 New lung nodules
Apr-2019 Dec-2020 Xeloda/Avastin, SBRT, cont. Xeloda/Avastin
Mar-2021 Forfiri/Avastin
Mar-2022 Ablation & Thoracotomy
Feb-2023 Folfiri & Avastin
Nov-2023 Xeloda & Avastin

skb
Posts: 114
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2017 2:00 pm

Re: CT Scan today

Postby skb » Thu Oct 03, 2024 3:36 pm

zephyr,
I was studying your signature. Would you say that your lung nodules have been stable since you started the Folfox/Avastin regimen few years ago?

I am being hopeful that it would give me few more years if I am prescribed that regimen.
3/17: Dx T3N0M0-mid rectal 4.5cm
4/18 to 5/17: chemoradiation- Xeloda and daily radiation (25 doses)
6/17: clean biopsy, clean scans
8/17: MRI - no evidence of tumor, no surgery, starts wait and watch
8/17 to 12/17: Folfox
8/19 VATS - 1cm lung nodule
7/21- Clean CT, CEA 15.6 !
8/21- PET , biopsy finds met in abdomen
10/21- Surgery , 12 rounds of FOLFIRI -ended 4/22
4/22 to 1/23- Clean scan, normal CEA
10/23- four sub-centimeter lung nodules, on Xeloda
9/24: CEA 5.6, largest nodule 7x7mm

zephyr
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:31 am

Re: CT Scan today

Postby zephyr » Fri Oct 04, 2024 11:06 am

skb wrote:zephyr,
I was studying your signature. Would you say that your lung nodules have been stable since you started the Folfox/Avastin regimen few years ago?

I am being hopeful that it would give me few more years if I am prescribed that regimen.


More like stable-ish. I've been bouncing between Folfiri/Avastin and Xeloda/Avastin. When we start to see too much progression on Xeloda/Avastin, then we switch back to Folfiri/Avastin to knock it down. I usually get a good response on Folfiri/Avastin but it wears me out after a while so then we switch back to Xeloda/Avastin which is very tolerable for me. So far I've been very lucky repeating treatments. All of that said, I have only the highest praise for my oncologist but I've also been working with a gifted FABNO naturopathic doc and with an awesome Chinese herbalist, and I believe those have been a large part of my success.
Nov-2009 Early stage CRC, routine colonoscopy
2010-2014 F/U colonoscopies, all clear
Jun-2016 CRC during F/U colonoscopy, surgery, Stage 4, KRAS, MSS
Aug-2016-May-2018 Folfox, 5FU, Folfiri & Avastin
Aug/Sep-2018 YAG laser surgeries (Germany), 11 nodules removed
Nov-2018 clean CT scan
Mar-2019 New lung nodules
Apr-2019 Dec-2020 Xeloda/Avastin, SBRT, cont. Xeloda/Avastin
Mar-2021 Forfiri/Avastin
Mar-2022 Ablation & Thoracotomy
Feb-2023 Folfiri & Avastin
Nov-2023 Xeloda & Avastin

roadrunner
Posts: 510
Joined: Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:46 pm

Re: CT Scan today

Postby roadrunner » Fri Oct 04, 2024 3:36 pm

Zephyr:

I just wanted to comment on how inspiring your success is. That’s a lot of years, and it sounds like you’ve had at least a reasonable QOL despite all the chemo. I wish you many more good years!
7/19: RC: Staged IIIA, T2N1M0
approx 4.25 cm, low/mid rectum, mod. well diff.; lung micronodule
8/19-10/19 4 rds.FOLFOX neoadjuvant, 3 w/Oxiplatin (reduced 70-75%)
neoadjuvant chemorad 11/19
4 rounds FOLFOX July-August 2020
ncCR 10/20; biopsies neg
TAE 11/20
Chest CT 3/30/21 growth 2 nodules (3 and 5mm)
VATS 12/8/21 sub-pleural met 7mm.
SBRT nodule 1/22
6/20/22 TAE rectal polyp)
NED from 3/22 - 3/23
4 cycles FOLFIRI
LUL VATS lobectomy 7/7/23
5 cycles FOLFOX
APR 6/24. NED for now

zephyr
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:31 am

Re: CT Scan today

Postby zephyr » Fri Oct 04, 2024 6:37 pm

roadrunner wrote:Zephyr:

I just wanted to comment on how inspiring your success is. That’s a lot of years, and it sounds like you’ve had at least a reasonable QOL despite all the chemo. I wish you many more good years!


Thank you, Roadrunner. Like everyone else, QOL ebbs and flows - and there have been some brutal lows - but overall, it's been good.
Nov-2009 Early stage CRC, routine colonoscopy
2010-2014 F/U colonoscopies, all clear
Jun-2016 CRC during F/U colonoscopy, surgery, Stage 4, KRAS, MSS
Aug-2016-May-2018 Folfox, 5FU, Folfiri & Avastin
Aug/Sep-2018 YAG laser surgeries (Germany), 11 nodules removed
Nov-2018 clean CT scan
Mar-2019 New lung nodules
Apr-2019 Dec-2020 Xeloda/Avastin, SBRT, cont. Xeloda/Avastin
Mar-2021 Forfiri/Avastin
Mar-2022 Ablation & Thoracotomy
Feb-2023 Folfiri & Avastin
Nov-2023 Xeloda & Avastin

Bianca10
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2023 4:46 pm

Re: CT Scan today

Postby Bianca10 » Sat Oct 05, 2024 9:36 am

zephyr wrote:
skb wrote:zephyr,
I was studying your signature. Would you say that your lung nodules have been stable since you started the Folfox/Avastin regimen few years ago?

I am being hopeful that it would give me few more years if I am prescribed that regimen.


More like stable-ish. I've been bouncing between Folfiri/Avastin and Xeloda/Avastin. When we start to see too much progression on Xeloda/Avastin, then we switch back to Folfiri/Avastin to knock it down. I usually get a good response on Folfiri/Avastin but it wears me out after a while so then we switch back to Xeloda/Avastin which is very tolerable for me. So far I've been very lucky repeating treatments. All of that said, I have only the highest praise for my oncologist but I've also been working with a gifted FABNO naturopathic doc and with an awesome Chinese herbalist, and I believe those have been a large part of my success.


If you don’t mind me asking, how long between switching between folfiri & xeolda have you had?

Not all consultants are too keen on rechallenging, and I haven’t heard of treatments being rechallenge multiple times so I’m really interested.
Normally they say at least a year off treatment before rechallenging it.

zephyr
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:31 am

Re: CT Scan today

Postby zephyr » Sat Oct 05, 2024 12:12 pm

Bianca10 wrote:If you don’t mind me asking, how long between switching between folfiri & xeolda have you had?

Not all consultants are too keen on rechallenging, and I haven’t heard of treatments being rechallenge multiple times so I’m really interested.
Normally they say at least a year off treatment before rechallenging it.


1-2 years. Twice there have been surgeries so I've been off all chemo for some period. This last time I went straight into Xeloda from Forfiri. I can usually get at least a year on Xeloda.
Nov-2009 Early stage CRC, routine colonoscopy
2010-2014 F/U colonoscopies, all clear
Jun-2016 CRC during F/U colonoscopy, surgery, Stage 4, KRAS, MSS
Aug-2016-May-2018 Folfox, 5FU, Folfiri & Avastin
Aug/Sep-2018 YAG laser surgeries (Germany), 11 nodules removed
Nov-2018 clean CT scan
Mar-2019 New lung nodules
Apr-2019 Dec-2020 Xeloda/Avastin, SBRT, cont. Xeloda/Avastin
Mar-2021 Forfiri/Avastin
Mar-2022 Ablation & Thoracotomy
Feb-2023 Folfiri & Avastin
Nov-2023 Xeloda & Avastin

claudine
Posts: 821
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:41 pm
Location: Montana

Re: CT Scan today

Postby claudine » Thu Oct 10, 2024 1:33 pm

Zephyr, it's great to read this! My husband has been on Xeloda/Avastin since January, so far it's still effective (his CEA is stable around 8, it even dropped to 6.8 today). But I expect it'll stop working at some point. His onc seems ok with doing Folfiri/Avastin again if that happens; DH had it previously, stopped for surgery, not because he developed resistance to it. But onc wants to "save the big guns for when we really need them". Good to know it's been working for you, going back and forth between the two lines of treatment :)

Beach Sunrise - any recent developments?
Wife of Dx 04/18 (51 yo). MSS, KRAS G12A, no primary

Tumors: L4 04/18; left adrenal gland & small lung nodules 03/19
rectum 02/22 (pT3 pN0 stage 2A); L3 09/22

Surgeries: intestinal resect. 05/18 (no cancer - Crohn's); adrenalectomy 02/20
L3-L4-L5 fusion and corpectomy 05/20; LAR 04/22; ileo reversal 09/22
L2-L3 fusion and corpectomy 09/22

Treatments: EBRT 04/18; SBRT 02/19; Failed adjuvant Xelox ; Folfiri/Avastin 03/19 - 01/20
adjuvant chemorad (Xeloda) 06/22; SBRT 11/22; Xeloda/Avastin since 01/24

User avatar
beach sunrise
Posts: 1132
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:14 pm

Re: CT Scan today

Postby beach sunrise » Thu Oct 10, 2024 11:12 pm

Thanks to everyone for all the support!
I will post a positive update tomorrow.
8/19 RC CEA 82.6 T3N0M0
5FU/rad 6 wk
IVC 75g 1 1/2 wks before surgery. Continue 2x a week
Surg 1/20 -margins T4bN1a IIIC G2 MSI- 1/20 LN+ LVI+ PNI-
pre cea 24 post 5.9
FOLFOX
7 rds 6-10 CEA 11.4 No more
CEA
7/20 11.1 8.8
8/20 7.8
9/20 8.8, 9, 8.6
10/20 8.1
11/20 8s
12/20 8s-9s
ADAPT++++ chrono
CEA
10/23/22 26.x
12/23/22 22.x
2023
1/5 17.1
1/20 15.9
3/30 14.9
6/12 13.3
8/1 2.1
Nodule RML SUV 1.3 5mm
Rolles 3 of 4 lung nodules cancer
KRAS
Chem-sens test failed Not enough ca cells to test

User avatar
beach sunrise
Posts: 1132
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:14 pm

Re: CT Scan today

Postby beach sunrise » Fri Oct 11, 2024 10:09 pm

I am sorry for posting the wrong scan results. Coming back from a mental break down among other things I put wrong date on both scans. Goodness, can't believe I got scans mixed up. Below is the right scan from 9-11-24. I think I'm headed for recurrence so changing things up and going to hit it hot and heavy. CEA 7.2
TECHNIQUE: CT Chest with contrast. Patient weight: 92 lbs. IV contrast: Omnipaque 350, 80 ml,
per protocol. Saline flush: 10 ml. IV contrast injection rate: 2 ml per sec. Scan delay: 35 sec
Scan field of view: 330 mm. DLP: 108.09 mGy cm.
FINDINGS:
STRUCTURED REPORT: CT Chest - Standard
LOWER NECK: Heterogeneous multinodular thyroid with mediastinal extension as before.
CHEST:
LINES AND TUBES: None.
ESOPHAGUS AND MEDIASTINUM: No abnormality.
LYMPH NODES: None enlarged.
CARDIOVASCULAR: No cardiomegaly or pericardial effusion.
Coronary Artery Calcification: Mild.
LUNGS, AIRWAYS AND PLEURA: Interval hypodense nodular densities at the site of previously
noted pulmonary nodules bilaterally (series 2 image 44, 49, 85) measuring up to 13 x 9 mm in
the superior segment of the left lower lobe (series 2 image 49). One of these in the right
middle lobe shows internal cystic/cavitary area with associated atelectasis (series 2 image 79,
75). Mildly irregular nodularity in the right upper lobe laterally with previously noted
discrete nodule showing interval decrease in size (series 2 image 46). Moderate centrilobular
emphysema bilaterally. Foci of mucous plugging bilaterally. Biapical lung scarring.
CHEST WALL AND MUSCULOSKELETAL: Sclerotic focus in the T5 vertebral body. Degenerative changes
in spine.
UPPER ABDOMEN: CT Abdomen reported separately.
CONCLUSION:
1. Interval hypodense nodular densities at the site of previously noted pulmonary nodules
bilaterally with one of these showing associated cystic component and atelectasis in the right
middle lobe. These are favored to represent treatment-related changes, less likely progression.
Correlate with PET scan.

REPORT OF EXAM:
EXAM: CT Abdomen and Pelvis w contrast
CLINICAL INFORMATION: Rectal cancer surveillance
COMPARISON: 12/20/2022.
TECHNIQUE: CT Abdomen and Pelvis w contrast. Patient weight: 92 lbs. IV contrast: Omnipaque
350, 80 ml, per protocol. Water: 8 oz. Saline flush: 10 ml. IV contrast injection rate: 2 ml
per sec. Scan delay: 70 sec Scan field of view: 330 mm. DLP: 321.92 mGy cm.
FINDINGS:
STRUCTURED REPORT: CT Abdomen Pelvis
ABDOMEN and PELVIS:
LIVER: Normal.
BILIARY TRACT: Mild extrahepatic biliary dilation with smooth tapering distally is unchanged
since August 2022.
GALLBLADDER: No abnormality.
PANCREAS: Normal.
SPLEEN: Normal.
ADRENALS: Normal.
KIDNEYS: Punctate nonobstructing left kidney stone. Small left renal cyst
LYMPH NODES: None enlarged.
STOMACH / SMALL BOWEL: No abnormality.
COLON / APPENDIX: Left hemiabdomen colostomy.
PERITONEUM / MESENTERY: Normal.
RETROPERITONEUM: Normal.
VESSELS: No significant abnormality.
URINARY BLADDER: Mildly distended.
REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS: No abnormality.
BODY WALL: Left hemiabdomen colostomy.
MUSCULOSKELETAL: No significant abnormality.
CONCLUSION:
No evidence of metastasis in the abdomen and pelvis.
8/19 RC CEA 82.6 T3N0M0
5FU/rad 6 wk
IVC 75g 1 1/2 wks before surgery. Continue 2x a week
Surg 1/20 -margins T4bN1a IIIC G2 MSI- 1/20 LN+ LVI+ PNI-
pre cea 24 post 5.9
FOLFOX
7 rds 6-10 CEA 11.4 No more
CEA
7/20 11.1 8.8
8/20 7.8
9/20 8.8, 9, 8.6
10/20 8.1
11/20 8s
12/20 8s-9s
ADAPT++++ chrono
CEA
10/23/22 26.x
12/23/22 22.x
2023
1/5 17.1
1/20 15.9
3/30 14.9
6/12 13.3
8/1 2.1
Nodule RML SUV 1.3 5mm
Rolles 3 of 4 lung nodules cancer
KRAS
Chem-sens test failed Not enough ca cells to test


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