recurrence after 10 years
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I too was diagnosed in 2008 and went 61/2 years cancer free and mine came back 2015. I was 52 when first diagnosed and was 61 when it came back, I do know chemo the second time was a lot harder on me than the first time, I basically flunked out of most chemo options because of all the complications they were causing so we stopped chemo for a few months only to have more mets happen. My doctor then decided to have me do Xeloda, and it has been almost a year on it and stayed “no change”, with little side effects.
Prayers for answers and HOPE,
CathyThank you for your prompt response.
Yes, we knew dr. Saab moved to Arizona, and dr. Bloomston moved to Florida.
We are very sad that both of her original drs are gone, and honestly didn’t think the cancer would recur after 10 years.
I Think my mom would be very interested in hearing dr saab’s opinion. Thank you for the info.
I am not very savvy with online forums, so I am still trying to figure out how to navigate this website.
I haven’t been able to even find the logout button-lol!
Thanks again!gnomish…welcome back. Unfortunately, the updated program lacked the capacity of carrying over the entire previous contents, hence your postings and that of many others were eliminated. Not that I remember all of your postings, but I recall your mother in-law’s story.
Also, Dr. Saab moved to Phoenix and is affiliated with Mayo. He may very well take a look at the records and advice you on what steps to take next.He may also consult with the current physician treating your mother in-law. For whatever it’s worth try to use my name as reference.
http://health.usnews.com/doctors/tanios-bekaii-saab-24187
The trend of treatment for the elderly has substantially changed. It’s not unusual for patients in their 80th receiving chemotherapy, targeted drugs or even immunotherapy.
In any case, dear gnomish, I would look for a second, professional opinion. Perhaps Dr. Sabb is able to communicate with you, if not, I would search out another center treating a high volume of cholangiocarcinoma patients.
Hoping for others to chime in on this as well.
Hugs,
Marionhello,
i first posted on this website way back in 2007.
anyway, i don’t see my original introduction, so i will give a brief history.
my mother was diagnosed at age 72 in late 2006.
at a small local hospital, they removed her gallbladder. she had several lymph nodes test positive, and the surgeon thought a stricture along the common bile duct was most likely cancerous also. due to the situation, the surgeon decided to not perform any further resection.
we then went to the james at ohio state for a 2nd opinion. we met with dr tanios saab and dr mark bloomston. dr bloomton performed a whipple surgery. following surgery, she had chemo- gemzar for 6 mos.
at that time, the drs weren’t sure if it was gallbladder or bile duct cancer. still not really sure, but current dr said it doesn’t really matter which one since treatment is the same.she has been monitored over the last 10 years with labs and scans(first 5 years)
her liver enzymes elevated a few years back, but another dr diagnosed her with primary sclerosis cholangitis(PSC), and prescribed ursodiol capsules. her liver enzymes than came down, so the dr confirmed she had PSC. she has a history of ulcerative colitis.
unbelievably, she sailed along 9 years post whipple surgery with no complications, and for that we are extremely thankful!! she received excellent treatment by Dr Bloomston and Dr. Saab and her local drs.one year ago(may 2016), her ca19-9 started to elevate. scans were resumed every 3 mos, but radiologists reported nothing suspicious on the scans until march of this year(2017.)
the scans revealed a questionable area of the liver that was quite large, and ca19-9 over 500. liver biopsy confirmed diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. a pet scan revealed a possible hot spot with a mesenteric lymph node in addition to the liver tumor.
her previous drs have since left ohio state, so we are starting this process again with a new team of drs.
the oncologist consulted w/surgeons and an interventional radiologist , but was decided nothing could be done due to the close proximity of the inferior vena cava. i assume her age may have played a role also in their decision perhaps.she is beginning chemo (gemzar and cisplatin) every other week.
i am wondering if anyone on this forum has received this type of chemo at a similar age, and if so, how was it tolerated? any tips to making it easier?
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