surveillance schedule for stage 3

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Koreysue
Posts: 258
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2018 2:36 pm

surveillance schedule for stage 3

Postby Koreysue » Thu Jul 28, 2022 7:46 pm

Hello,
For those who are stage 3- what is your surveillance schedule? How often are scans, and when do you stop... 5 years? Curious to hear if this varies doctor to doctor.
And those who are past 5 years, do you have zero oncology visits now?
Thanks for any info,
Ksue
Dx: 6/2017 stage 3 CC
Sigmoid, 2 nodes
CEA at dx: 6.1
Sigmoid Colectomy/folfox (last chemo (1/31/18)
CEA 4/2018: 2.4
CEA 7/2018: 3.7
Colonoscopy 8/18 clean
PET scan 8/20/18 NED
CEA 11/2018: 3.8
CEA 2/2019: 3.2
CT NED 6/18/19 / CEA : 3.4
CEA 10/21/19: 3.2
CEA 3/9/20: 3.8
CT NED /CEA 6/17/20: 3.8
CEA 11/4/20 4.6 <——— whyyyy? (will retest in a few weeks)
CT NED 12/1/20 CEA: 3.5
CEA 5/21 4.2
CEA 10/21 3.4
colonoscopy 10/21 10mm polyp
CEA 4/22 3.7
CEA 7/22 3.8
CEA 12/22 4
CEA 1/22 3.2 and NED 5yr scan

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CRguy
Posts: 10473
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: surveillance schedule for stage 3

Postby CRguy » Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:18 am

Hey there !!!
Good to see you posting again

For my own just FYI / IMO / IME
please check out the link in my signature

This is what I do and why I do it

Cheers and Harmony
CRguy
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

Koreysue
Posts: 258
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2018 2:36 pm

Re: surveillance schedule for stage 3

Postby Koreysue » Fri Jul 29, 2022 1:21 am

Hey CR Guy!
Good to be here :D

I will check it out, thanks.

My oncologist says I am “almost done having to see him, (barring any issues between now and January) and I just can’t fathom that. Just curious if that has been the case for anyone else.

Thanks for your reply
Ksue
Dx: 6/2017 stage 3 CC
Sigmoid, 2 nodes
CEA at dx: 6.1
Sigmoid Colectomy/folfox (last chemo (1/31/18)
CEA 4/2018: 2.4
CEA 7/2018: 3.7
Colonoscopy 8/18 clean
PET scan 8/20/18 NED
CEA 11/2018: 3.8
CEA 2/2019: 3.2
CT NED 6/18/19 / CEA : 3.4
CEA 10/21/19: 3.2
CEA 3/9/20: 3.8
CT NED /CEA 6/17/20: 3.8
CEA 11/4/20 4.6 <——— whyyyy? (will retest in a few weeks)
CT NED 12/1/20 CEA: 3.5
CEA 5/21 4.2
CEA 10/21 3.4
colonoscopy 10/21 10mm polyp
CEA 4/22 3.7
CEA 7/22 3.8
CEA 12/22 4
CEA 1/22 3.2 and NED 5yr scan

ab123
Posts: 124
Joined: Tue May 21, 2013 12:25 pm
Location: Boston

Re: surveillance schedule for stage 3

Postby ab123 » Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:24 pm

This month marks 10 years post 3C CRC diagnosis for me. NED and back to normal for many years now.

After 3 years without recurrence surveillance dropped way off - they started to suggest I was likely cured at that point. After that I think I had a CT scan (pelvis and torso) one more time at the 4 year mark. At 5 years I was basically graduated from the program. After that it was coloscopy every 3 years (and supposedly for the rest of my life, although I might drop to every 5). They're happy to see me at the oncology clinic if I really want to go - they say - but they don't recommend it or require anything further. It's just the colonoscopies now. I see my primary care internal medicine doc for an annual physical, which includes bloodwork and CEA level.
Aug 2012: RC DX Stage IIIC, T3N2M0 by MRI - 38M
Fall 2012: Chemorad
Nov 2012: LAR - Path report: 0/13 LNs, tumor reduced to "microscopic foci"
Jan-Apr 2013: 8 rounds FOLFOX
May 2013: Ileostomy takedown, port removal
July 2013 (and since): NED!

Koreysue
Posts: 258
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2018 2:36 pm

Re: surveillance schedule for stage 3

Postby Koreysue » Wed Aug 03, 2022 12:23 am

ab123 wrote:This month marks 10 years post 3C CRC diagnosis for me. NED and back to normal for many years now.

After 3 years without recurrence surveillance dropped way off - they started to suggest I was likely cured at that point. After that I think I had a CT scan (pelvis and torso) one more time at the 4 year mark. At 5 years I was basically graduated from the program. After that it was coloscopy every 3 years (and supposedly for the rest of my life, although I might drop to every 5). They're happy to see me at the oncology clinic if I really want to go - they say - but they don't recommend it or require anything further. It's just the colonoscopies now. I see my primary care internal medicine doc for an annual physical, which includes bloodwork and CEA level.


Thanks for your response, ab123. It is encouraging to hear your story, and thanks for the info.
Ksue
Dx: 6/2017 stage 3 CC
Sigmoid, 2 nodes
CEA at dx: 6.1
Sigmoid Colectomy/folfox (last chemo (1/31/18)
CEA 4/2018: 2.4
CEA 7/2018: 3.7
Colonoscopy 8/18 clean
PET scan 8/20/18 NED
CEA 11/2018: 3.8
CEA 2/2019: 3.2
CT NED 6/18/19 / CEA : 3.4
CEA 10/21/19: 3.2
CEA 3/9/20: 3.8
CT NED /CEA 6/17/20: 3.8
CEA 11/4/20 4.6 <——— whyyyy? (will retest in a few weeks)
CT NED 12/1/20 CEA: 3.5
CEA 5/21 4.2
CEA 10/21 3.4
colonoscopy 10/21 10mm polyp
CEA 4/22 3.7
CEA 7/22 3.8
CEA 12/22 4
CEA 1/22 3.2 and NED 5yr scan


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