Canadian Stage Iii

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with Stage III Colon Cancer, 2 lymph node involvement in Feb. 2007. I just had a 3 month checkup with good results based on blood test and a colonoscopy about a month earlier. 

My CEA level is 1.5 and has gone down from just under two so that is good. I asked the doctor what my CEA was before surgery and it was under 4 which is considered normal. My assumption then is that the CEA test may not necessarily be a firm indicator of CC for me. My onc says that he has no concerns as my weight is good (too good) my bloodwork looks great and generally appear to be in good health. 

I have no reason to doubt his assessment and he has been great in answering questions, but it seems like a lot of other stage IIIs get follow up CT or PET Scans on a regular basis for follow up. My onc said that he has to look at the risk/benefit as it would expose me to unnecessary radiation. A quick note - I had Hodgkins twenty years ago with Radiation over my abdomen. There is a theory I actually developed CC because of this treatment. I believe this is why he wants to avoid this.

I was just wondering if there are any other folks out there not having CT scans as a course of follow up. I am getting an ultrasound and X-ray in three months as a follow up so that will be good. What does everyone think of this scenario?

I had a ct and PET scan after 1.5 years of being cancer free.  The scans saved my life.....I was stage 3b just as you and I had a reoccurrence last Sept.  The scans enabled the docs to proceed with radiation and chemo for 35 straight days.  Surgery in Oct was not successfull because of the location of the tumor. I would cerainly push the scans. I had a ct and pet at the same time.  They were overlayed and showed specific location and intensity of the tumor.   Knowing what I know, I would change Docs if they didn't proceed with the appropriate scans.   I am currently cancer free and will be getting another PET and Ct in one month as a follow up.

I too was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer with  2 lymph nodes. I had scans every 6 mos for the first couple years along with colonoscopies. I am still getting the scans every 6 mos, but colonoscopy will now be 2 yrs. I was diagnosed in June of 2004 and am still cancer free!!! I feel a lot safer with having the scans. Good luck!

Hi LToronto...... from Kitchener. Your onc is very "forward thinking" in my opinion. Here is just a bit of info on the subject. "Overzealous doctors who order unnecessary body scans that use X-ray technology are placing their patients at risk of cancer, radiologists warn. Radiation from such scans is in some cases equivalent to that received by some survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs, they say. In response, hospitals and professional associations, such as the American College of Radiologists, are taking new steps to promote more careful use of scanning technologies." Source..... http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11827 "A single full-body CT scan gives a person a total radiation dose of about 12 mSv. That's close to the 20-mSv dose linked to cancer in Japanese survivors of atomic bombs. And each of these scans adds another 12 mSv to a person's total lifetime exposure. An mSv is a unit for measuring radiation dose." Source..... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/31/health/webmd/main6 CT Scan overuse could be putting many people at an increased risk for developing cancer, a new study says.  The findings regarding the CT Scan - cancer link are disturbing, especially as they come on the heels of other research that found pregnant women are now being exposed to twice as much radiation through CT Scans as they where just a few years ago. In addition to putting these women at risk of developing cancer in the future, increased radiation exposure through CT Scans could put their babies at risk for serious diseases.” Source http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/2111 Just a suggestion here from someone who is strong and healthy with no symptoms of disease four years after diagnosis and refusing all recommended traditional treatment. Please do some research into alternative medicine and into what caused your immune system to be compromised in the first place which allowed the disease to take control. There are many steps you can take(through diet, supplements etc.) to rebuild and strengthen your natural immunity which will greatly lessen the chances of cancer returning. If you'd like some input from me as to my personal experience of what has worked for me and others I know with a variety of cancers, let me know. Here's a link with some good information re diet etc. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=52 Stay Well!

On 5/23/2008 LToronto wrote:

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with Stage III Colon Cancer, 2 lymph node involvement in Feb. 2007. I just had a 3 month checkup with good results based on blood test and a colonoscopy about a month earlier. 

My CEA level is 1.5 and has gone down from just under two so that is good. I asked the doctor what my CEA was before surgery and it was under 4 which is considered normal. My assumption then is that the CEA test may not necessarily be a firm indicator of CC for me. My onc says that he has no concerns as my weight is good (too good) my bloodwork looks great and generally appear to be in good health. 

I have no reason to doubt his assessment and he has been great in answering questions, but it seems like a lot of other stage IIIs get follow up CT or PET Scans on a regular basis for follow up. My onc said that he has to look at the risk/benefit as it would expose me to unnecessary radiation. A quick note - I had Hodgkins twenty years ago with Radiation over my abdomen. There is a theory I actually developed CC because of this treatment. I believe this is why he wants to avoid this.

I was just wondering if there are any other folks out there not having CT scans as a course of follow up. I am getting an ultrasound and X-ray in three months as a follow up so that will be good. What does everyone think of this scenario?

12 mSv is 40% less than 20mSv (significant).  We are not talking about pregnant women here, and going without symptoms for 4 years does mean that cancer could not present.  Having a scan to indentify and provide sufficient time for treatment is the most important aspect  I prefer this alternative.  I am gouing to have a PET with CT in a month.  If a doctor recommended otherwise based on the information you provided I would fire him./her!!  CT and PET saved my life last year.

My post was for you shemay

Thanks Arnold and Shemay,

I appreciate your input. I think that due to the mega radiation I had previously for my Hodgkins my doctor is perhaps being cautious, which may be a good thing. I am not sure. My Hodgkins onc . said that I probably did get CC from the Hodgkins treatment. (I probably glow in the dark) I have looked up standard of care for CC in Canada and there does not seem to be  an overall consensus. It depends where you are located, who you see, what stage you are a etc... A friend of mine has stage III and she is getting a CT at the end of chemo because of an ongoing "side stich" that is annoying her. I would be curious to hear from other Canadians in the Ontario area in terms of what their experience has been.

Cheers!