question about metastatic cc
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- This topic has 87 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 11 months ago by pamela.
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January 20, 2012 at 4:15 am #40893pamelaSpectator
Dear Sally,
I am praying the doctors come up with a plan that will help your dear sister.
If that means getting another opinion, then keep trying until you find a doctor that is able to help her. All the best to you and your sis.Love, -Pam
January 20, 2012 at 1:29 am #40892wallsm1SpectatorSally,
Your sister sure has been through so much. My thoughts on chemo are, you can always try it and see. Everyone is different. Maybe the side effects won’t be so bad. If they are you can always stop treatment. But I agree there is no need to suffer if there is no benefit. It’s a tough decision. Keep us posted on what the decision is. She is lucky to have you. I am 32, my sister is 34 and she is very supportive and involved in my treatment decisions. I don’t know what I would do without her.
Best wishes,
Susie
January 20, 2012 at 12:28 am #40891sallypaMemberwe really dont know what to do. it was such a shock when the oncologist told us he didnt think chemo would help. he offered to give her xeloda and oxiliplatin if she wanted to try chemo but he said the side effects would be severe and may not be worth dealing with for such a small chance of benefit. i feel we have no choice but to get other opinions. at the same time we dont want her to suffer for no benefit. it is a very difficult time. i dont know how she deals with the stress as well as she does. we are just praying for a miracle.
January 19, 2012 at 3:31 pm #40890lainySpectatorDearest Sally, I am so very sorry. You do know you have the option of another opinion. Does your Sister want to look in to any other options? I am wondering how he will keep treating returning tumors if the chemo is not helping? With faith and trust in the Doctors a decision will be made and all you can do is take it from there.
You never know how strong you are until “strong” is the only choice you have!January 19, 2012 at 1:41 pm #40889sallypaMemberhad appointment with oncologist at university of penn yesterday. he said her cancer is metastatic and he doesnt believe doing chemo will help. he said the side effects for the chemo will be bad and said it is up to us if we want to start it. my sister had her second surgery in december and he said that is rare because they usually dont operate when the cancer is spreading. she had 5 tumors removed. his theory now is to wait until tumors return and than they will treat that. but he made it sound hopeless.
January 12, 2012 at 1:14 am #40888lisacraineSpectatorI had a resection in Sept. 2010 and they removed over 75 percent of my liver. The recovery was slow but manageable. The surgeon was unable to get clean margins since it was so close to a main vessel. I had six months of chemo and then the cancer came back in the liver but they were able to get clean margins during this surgery. I think it is fantastic news that you got clean margins……with chemo this could be a cure…yipppeeee
January 10, 2012 at 12:47 am #40887marionsModeratorGreat. Have your questions handy and be ready to take notes.
Good luck and all my best wishes,
MarionJanuary 10, 2012 at 12:36 am #40886sallypaMemberthe name of the dr at sloane is dr ronald dematteo.
January 8, 2012 at 3:30 am #40885marionsModeratorsally….naltrexone appears to be an opinoid inhibitor and as far as I know has not been used in the treatment for this cancer. You might want to discuss this with the oncologist.
Who are you contacting at Sloan?
All my best wishes,
MarionJanuary 8, 2012 at 1:57 am #40884sallypaMemberi have some more information about the treatment plan for my sister and i hoping to get some advice from the friends i have here. the oncologist at university of penn spoke of three different chemo protocols. xeloda, gemzar and 5fu plus oxiliplatin. my sister was given 5fu with the radiation treatments she received after her first surgery. that was followed by six months of gemzar. the oncologist believes the best course of action right now would be to give her a stronger dose of gemzar. he said he is basing that on the length of time it took for a recurrence to appear. it was a little over a year. he feels a stronger dose could keep it on hold longer. my sister also spoke to someone who felt a combination of xeloda and gemzar may be effective. we dont have much infor on the 5fu/oxi chemo. i would really like some advice. on monday we are contacting sloane to let them look at her reports and give advice. also was wondering if anyone has ever heard of a drug called naltrexone. i was reading about it and it suppossedly has become an effective cancer fighter but i always question the legitimacy of drugs i havent even heard of before. thank you to everyone for your support, prayers and advice. we really appreciate it.
January 6, 2012 at 7:59 pm #40883marionsModeratoroh Sally…I am so sorry – this is not the kind of news any of us wanted to hear.
When things have settled just a bit will you be able to share with us the exact treatments your sister will be receiving? Xeloda comes in pill form.
Side effects may not be as much of a problem for your sister as she might fear because; medications are available to easy the symptoms of side effects and some people experience negligent discomfort.
My heart is with you and your family but please do not give up on hope for a positive response to the proposed treatment.
Hang in there and please stay in touch.
Hugs and all my best wishes,
MarionJanuary 6, 2012 at 3:06 pm #40882lainySpectatorDear Sally, I am so very sorry to hear this. I am sure that frightening is putting it mildly. I am trying to think if we have had this this type of met before, to the ovaries, perhaps someone can help us out there. Did you go to Sloan Kettering? I am definitely thinking second opinion if she didn’t. Guess I would want to know more about this ‘pill’. I know chemo is a scary thought again but many here have chemo after surgery and it has worked. Gather your strength and your thoughts for your Sister and we certainly hope for the best. Please let us know how she is doing.
January 6, 2012 at 5:55 am #40881sallypaMemberthe new year has started with terrible news. my sister met with drs and they told her the cholangiocarcinoma is metastatic. the tumors found on her ovary and her liver is cc. it is heartbreaking. she is only 47 yrs old. they told her the only option is chemo. i havent gotten the full information from her yet because she is so upset but she said they told her they are going to do a short term chemo followed by some kind of pill that is very strong and will have numerous side effects. they give no guarantee of anything. i am praying for a miracle. i dont know if anyone here can give me some added insight to this treatment, or suggestions or hope. i dont know what to do or where to turn. it is frightening.
December 16, 2011 at 10:23 am #40880marionsModeratorSalli….good to hear that the surgery went well and all tumors were removed. Still hoping for the pathology report to come back negative for CC. Please, keep us in the loop.
Tons of good wishes are heading your way,
MarionDecember 16, 2011 at 5:01 am #40879sallypaMembermy sister made it thru the surgery and is feeling as good as possible. dr told us he found 1 tumor in her liver and 3 in some fatty tissue also one on her ovary. all 5 were removed. he is concerned that the cancer is now metastatic but wont say for sure until he gets pathology report. we had hoped for better news but at least she had the surgery and i guess we start all over with chemo. we are thinking of going to sloane kettering for a 2nd opinion on chemo treatment.
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