Places Rectal Cancer Can Spread

Hi,

I'm a newbe, to this board anyway. My husband was dx with rectal cancer March 06. The first diagnosis was stage 4. After the surgery and chemo (flofox) and radiation post op, his dr decided it was stage 3. The reason is there is a spot on his adrenal gland that shows up both in the CT and Pet scan. Usually rectal spreads to the liver or the lungs. After his chemo a new CT scan shown the spot on his adrenal to be a bit smaller. 2.4 vs 2.9. He does have nod involvment making it stage 3. I wanted to know if anyone has ever heard of rectal spreading to any other part of the body not just liver or lung?

Please advise

PS I feal for everyone on this board and keep all of you in my nightly prayers.

God Bless 

On 3/14/2008 AngelBaby wrote:

Hi,

I'm a newbe, to this board anyway. My husband was dx with rectal cancer March 06. The first diagnosis was stage 4. After the surgery and chemo (flofox) and radiation post op, his dr decided it was stage 3. The reason is there is a spot on his adrenal gland that shows up both in the CT and Pet scan. Usually rectal spreads to the liver or the lungs. After his chemo a new CT scan shown the spot on his adrenal to be a bit smaller. 2.4 vs 2.9. He does have nod involvment making it stage 3. I wanted to know if anyone has ever heard of rectal spreading to any other part of the body not just liver or lung?

Please advise

PS I feal for everyone on this board and keep all of you in my nightly prayers.

God Bless 

Hello,

My name is Jeff and I have stage 4 rectal cancer.  My cancer spread into my lymph nodes and lungs.  The cancerous lymph nodes were removed with the tumor near my rectum but the lung tumors are still present and growing.  My oncologist says that there is a major blood vessel near the rectum that goes to the lungs which is why it usually bypasses the liver.  The next place it goes to from the lungs is to the brain.  Colon cancer on the other hand will usually go to the liver first then the lungs. Hope this helps.

You should verify this with your oncologist.

God Bless,

Jeff

Thanks Jeff,

That is very informative. I have look on the internet to no availe for that info. I have heard that bowel cancer can spread to the adrenal but have found nothing on rectal spreading to the adrenal gland. The doc's are watching it closley. I maybe worrying to much.

I hope you do well with your treatments.

God Bless

Toni 

On 3/14/2008 AngelBaby wrote:

Hi,

I'm a newbe, to this board anyway. My husband was dx with rectal cancer March 06. The first diagnosis was stage 4. After the surgery and chemo (flofox) and radiation post op, his dr decided it was stage 3. The reason is there is a spot on his adrenal gland that shows up both in the CT and Pet scan. Usually rectal spreads to the liver or the lungs. After his chemo a new CT scan shown the spot on his adrenal to be a bit smaller. 2.4 vs 2.9. He does have nod involvment making it stage 3. I wanted to know if anyone has ever heard of rectal spreading to any other part of the body not just liver or lung?

Please advise

PS I feal for everyone on this board and keep all of you in my nightly prayers.

God Bless 

Angelbaby

I was dx with rectal cancer in October of 2006 and subsequent PET showed it had spread to the lymph nodes from the groin area to the chest.  The descision was made to do chemo to address the lymph node involvement prior to surgery.   The initial chemo wiped out the tumor in my rectum!  Great no surgery and the PET showed the lymph involvement was clean on the scan.  After six months a small amount of activity was once again showing in the chest area so back to chemo.  I'm just finishing the second six months of chemo and will do a PET next week.....hope all is clear...and I'm pretty sure it will be. 

 Anyway, its been my experience with my chemo mates that the disease seems to favor spreading to the liver, with the lymph nodes running a close second.  Not much other.  But like we all say, its different for everyone. 

 Hopefullly further treatment will address the problems you describe.  Its a long road but its doable taken a day at a time with support from loved ones.

all the best! 

Thank you for your response. It is very helpful. I'm sorry to hear about the met's you have had. Please stay strong. It's the people like you who help the people like me. We see your strength and try to stay as strong and brave.

Toni

Hi -

My husband was diagnosed with stage IV rectal CA in 11/05. After having surgery to remove the tumor and a permanet colostomy, in 3/06 he was diagnosed with mets to the liver and a small spot in the lung. 

He has been through all the colon/rectal therapies with chemo that there are out there, FOLFOX, FOLFUIRI, Avastin, Oxaliplatin, Erbitux, IROX, Xeloda, Vectibix you name it he has had it all ..........he is now terminal with mets to the liver, lung, chest wall, lymph nodes, intestine, and presacral region.

It has been a long hard journey for him and he gave it his best shot and had and still has a strong will to live; however, cancer has a stronger will. 

When he had his surgery, we were not aware that it could spread so quickly to the liver.....or other places for that matter. 

I hope this helps you in knowing that it can spread if no therapies work...

Good luck in your fight!!!

Kathy

On 4/24/2008 doodles wrote:

Hi -

My husband was diagnosed with stage IV rectal CA in 11/05. After having surgery to remove the tumor and a permanet colostomy, in 3/06 he was diagnosed with mets to the liver and a small spot in the lung. 

He has been through all the colon/rectal therapies with chemo that there are out there, FOLFOX, FOLFUIRI, Avastin, Oxaliplatin, Erbitux, IROX, Xeloda, Vectibix you name it he has had it all ..........he is now terminal with mets to the liver, lung, chest wall, lymph nodes, intestine, and presacral region.

It has been a long hard journey for him and he gave it his best shot and had and still has a strong will to live; however, cancer has a stronger will. 

When he had his surgery, we were not aware that it could spread so quickly to the liver.....or other places for that matter. 

I hope this helps you in knowing that it can spread if no therapies work...

Good luck in your fight!!!

Kathy

On 4/24/2008 caroljane wrote:

hi there, thanks for the information. my prayers are with you and your family. i am wondering...did he have chemo first or surgery first? thanks.'

 

On 4/24/2008 doodles wrote:

Hi -

My husband was diagnosed with stage IV rectal CA in 11/05. After having surgery to remove the tumor and a permanet colostomy, in 3/06 he was diagnosed with mets to the liver and a small spot in the lung. 

He has been through all the colon/rectal therapies with chemo that there are out there, FOLFOX, FOLFUIRI, Avastin, Oxaliplatin, Erbitux, IROX, Xeloda, Vectibix you name it he has had it all ..........he is now terminal with mets to the liver, lung, chest wall, lymph nodes, intestine, and presacral region.

It has been a long hard journey for him and he gave it his best shot and had and still has a strong will to live; however, cancer has a stronger will. 

When he had his surgery, we were not aware that it could spread so quickly to the liver.....or other places for that matter. 

I hope this helps you in knowing that it can spread if no therapies work...

Good luck in your fight!!!

Kathy

He had 24 treatments with chemo and radiation from November 05 to January 06 and had his surgery in February 06.  In March of 06 is when he was found to have the mets to the liver.

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Thankyou for your reply. Im very sorry to hear about your husband. I know you both have had a very hard time. I hope you continue to stay as strong as you are. Good luck and God bless!

Toni

On 3/14/2008 AngelBaby wrote:

Hi,

I'm a newbe, to this board anyway. My husband was dx with rectal cancer March 06. The first diagnosis was stage 4. After the surgery and chemo (flofox) and radiation post op, his dr decided it was stage 3. The reason is there is a spot on his adrenal gland that shows up both in the CT and Pet scan. Usually rectal spreads to the liver or the lungs. After his chemo a new CT scan shown the spot on his adrenal to be a bit smaller. 2.4 vs 2.9. He does have nod involvment making it stage 3. I wanted to know if anyone has ever heard of rectal spreading to any other part of the body not just liver or lung?

Please advise

PS I feal for everyone on this board and keep all of you in my nightly prayers.

God Bless 

I have stage IV colon/rectal cancer that spread to my adrenal gland.  Had the tumor removed from colon and also removed my right adrenal gland.  PET scan last week showed a 3.5 CM mass on left adrenal gland.

 Soooo, yes, mine spread to the adrenal gland.

God Bless you and yours