Hi All. I am new here, but certainly not new to Colon Cancer.
In November of 2008, a tumor in my cecum forced my Appendix to burst resulting in an emergency appendectomy and a colon resection. Followed by Chemo from Jan thru June of 2009.
I had regular blood tests and great results until this past June. My CEA's were elevated and back in for CT and PT Scans which showed 2 tumors in my colon.
I had the tumors (there was one hidden so I actually had 3) removed on July 12th and had 3 resections to my colon.
I met with my oncologist last week and he wants to start me on Oral Chemo September 9th.
If the oral medication you are talking about is Xeloda, that is an oral form of 5FU that in studies has been found to be equally and possibly more effective than 5FU infusion. Side effects are generally less with Xeloda and it is better tolerated; however, it is quite expensive and some insurance policies do not cover payment of the pill form. Check with your insurer.
Do you have Lynch syndrome? Your history of a right sided cecal cancer and then three metachronous colon cancers is highly suggestive of a genetic mutation. Have you consulted a genetic counselor - because although Lynch cancers have a higher survival rate and are less likely to metastacize than random colon cancers, there are other cancers that persons with Lynch Syndrome (HNPCC) are more susceptible to; thus, the screening and surveillance is much more frequent to catch anything that might develop at an earlier stage.
Leslie, Thanks for the response! I am going to be taking Xeloda (and yes, I had heard that insurance doesn't like to pay and asked my Oncologist to clear it with my insurance and it was approved!)
I will also be getting Avastin every 10 days.
Not certain about Lynch Syndrome - My Grandmother had colon cancer in back in 1988/1989 but really there has been not too much colon cancer in my family.
The first step in checking for a genetic mutation cause for colon cancer is to have some tumor tissue tested for microsatellite instability. If it tests microsatellite high - meaning highly unstable, then there is a 90+% probability that a Lynch mutation is involved. If it is microsatellite normal or low, it is not genetic in origin. The next step after testing MSI high is to do a blood immunohistochemistry to try to pinpoint which of the several mutations it might be, then blood is tested for the specific mutation. The reason it is important to know about Lynch (HNPCC - hereditary non-polyposal colon cancer) is because there is also an increased lifetime risk for other gastric cancers, renal pelvic/ureter cancer, pancreatic, brain, and for females endometrial (70%risk) and ovarian (12%), and males prostate cancer.
I have Lynch Syndrome, the PMS2 mutation and follow a schedule of yearly colonoscopy (cause Lynch colon cancer can develop in as little as 18 months compared to 7 or more years for a random colon cancer), yearly urine cytology and an upper endoscopy every 4-5 years as a precautionary measure.
Parents, siblings and children need to be screened too. However, you can have the mutation and never develop any cancer. I have had two - endometrial and colon cancer. My brother also has the same mutation and he has never had any cancers, but is following the check-up protocol to catch anything if it should develop early. My grandmother had colon cancer and my father had pancreatic cancer.
I went to Sloan for a 2nd opinion on treatment and this is JUST what my Dr. was talking about. They will be doing tests to see if I do have Lynch Syndrome!!
I am wondering about this Lynch syndrome? My husband, his twin and his sister all developed colon cancer at age 55 (or at least it was discovered when they were each 55). Both parents are alive, neither has ever had a colon issue, none of the other siblings have had colon cancer either, or any other type of cancer. Is this just a genetic "glitch" or is something more at play? We mentioned the family history to my husband's oncologist, and they never said anything about it or questioned us further.
