tess
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tessMember
Hello, Per a recent correspondence (11/17/08) with two doctors at the Mayo Clinic, I was told that because my Dad has Intrahepatic CC- that he is not a candidate for liver transplant. Dr. Blechacz initially indicated that because my Dad’s cancer was Intrahepatic, this makes him an ‘unlikely’ candidate for liver transplantation. I then pulsed Mayo’s Dr. Greg Gores for confirmation that Dad would definitely NOT be a candidate, and he confirmed. Other clinics that said he was not a candidate for surgery or radiation included Duke, Sloan & Roswell. NIH said they’d consider a conformal mix of radiation & chemo. Wake oncology said he’s not a candidate for microspheres due to high bilirubin levels. We finally secured a team at the Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre PA that agreed to start with Chemo, work into radiation, & the surgeon said that if they can shrink it even a bit that he’d attempt to go in and resect. Mind you that originally, Dad was sent home after the diagnosis & told that he should go seek out experimental treatments.
Currently Dad is fighting off an infection, so everything is on hold for now.
It is very interesting how there are so many opinions & approaches, even over one single patient.
Best,
TesstessMemberMy Dad, who is about 7 weeks into a cc diagnosis, would never touch the diet/sugar substitute stuff. He was a big whisky drinker for 25-30 years, until giving it up about 10 years back. He’s still a chain smoker. He too loves his sweets, every day…. the desserts & soda intake have increased significantly over the last 10 yrs. He loves fried food, and you’d think he’s nearly ‘allergic’ to fruits & veggies, per the minimal rate of consumption.
Dad is 64. He also had colon cancer about 5 years back, had it resected & treated with radiation, it never resurfaced.
Thought the extra details may assist in the profiling.
Best,
TesstessMemberThank you to everyone for your kind words & thoughts, and many significant suggestions. It certainly does appear that every CC case is different. Since I wrote late last week, Dad has received pain meds and is feeling better the last couple of days. Also, no mets to date- per the scan results today. The doctor has arranged for Dad to have a consult with radiation (tomorrow), which was originally proposed as not an option. Today was also his first chemo treatment, with Gemcitabine- and we requested that he be sent home with anti-nausea meds & stool softeners, per a posted suggestion. We have also been told this week (by Mayo’s Dr. Gores) that Dad is not a candidate for a liver transplant because his CC is intrahepatic. Wake oncology’s Dr. Kennedy has denied him as a candidate for microspheres because of high bilirubin levels (Dad’s=15.8, max allowance=2).
Thanks again to all for your hugs & prayers and for the reminders on the importance of a positive attitude.
Warm regards,
TesstessMemberThank you for your kind words & my thoughts are with you too. My Dad is 63 and in good health, diagnosis came less than 2 weeks ago. Everything has happened very quickly. We’ve sent his materials (CD-imagery & doctor notes) to established contacts as Sloan-Kettering, Fox-Chase Cancer Center, NIH Cancer Institute, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Institute, and Roswell Park Cancer Institute. 80% of the surgeons/oncologists responded & noted that chemo was the best option and that they can
November 15, 2008 at 10:09 pm in reply to: Radiofrequency Ablation is in the cards for Gale918 #24032tessMemberHello Gale, I’ve just started asking about the potential of RFA for my Father. I thought it was odd that one of the first things the nurse mentioned was the issue of insurance- suggesting to me that it’s been an issue in the department before. I also heard back from Sloan-Kettering this week, that RFA is not an option for Dad because of the size & of the mass and proximity to a major vessel. However, as an aside, below is a link to Sloan’s Dr. D’Angelica. He may be worth contacting for a second opinion or with questions. Sloan was very accommodating in reviewing my Dad’s imagery & paperwork. D’Angelica’s bio reads:
“I am a surgical oncologist with expertise in surgery of the liver, bile ducts, gallbladder, and pancreas. I am currently interested in developing new and innovative ways to treat liver tumors with non-surgical techniques such as radiofrequency ablation (uses heat to destroy tumors) and cryoablation (kills tumor cells by freezing them). Additionally, I am interested in developing minimally invasive (endoscopic) techniques in hepatobiliary surgery.”
http://www.mskcc.org/prg/prg/bios/708.cfm
Good luck!
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