staging request study

Been reading for a while now, but very interested in the the staging request study.  Hope the following info is helpful, so here goes.  My husband was diagnosed in September of 2006 with Adencarcinoma of the Esophagus, Stage IV.  The nasty beast reared its ugly head by way of a blood blister in the colored part of my husbands left eye.  After seeing an eye specialist who performed a biopsy on it, it was determined that there were "bad cells" coming from another part of your body.  Referred to an oncologist immediately.  After doing PET scans and endoscopy's and blood tests, it was determined that it was adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, stage IV, (because it started in the eye). (He also has had for years, Barrett's Esophagus)  He has since gotten glaucoma from the eye situation and can no longer see from his left eye.  He is unable to have surgery, radiation or the freeze drying thing because of it being Stage IV.  The tumor is not in any way obstructing him from eating.  As a matter of fact the last endoscopy, last summer, showed nothing obstructing the esophagus, it was only in the biopsy of the tissue where the tumor was that showed it was still there.  Back in the fall of 2006 he started with 6 treatments of EOX (Epirubicin, Oxiplatin and Xeloda) and continued on maintenance Xeloda with good results for several months.  My husband's immune system got so beat up from the chemo drugs, that after a short stay in the hospital for a cronic pancreatitis attack, he got pnemonia (Xeloda was stopped immediately) and was placed on a ventilator for several weeks.  At the time of the x-rays for the pnemonia, it was noted that the lymph nodes in the top part of his chest were enlarged.  Could be from the pnemonia, but after he finally recoved from the pnemonia, we went back to the oncologist and he was back to chemo for the second time because of the lymph nodes, (this time Cisplatin and Taxotere) nasty stuff and bad side effects, but it did not seem to do the trick so in the winter of 2009, we have started chemo round three (Irinotecan) which apparently he can take indefinitely (No. 10 tomorrow) numbers have started to go down so they continued with it after number 6.  Good luck to all. 

 

 

i was dx at stage 4 with advanced squamous cell carcinoma and never did anyone tell me i was not a candidate for surgery.  i had only mets to nearby lymph nodes, no other organs. i was sent for advanced chemo (irrinotecan, cisplatin and docetaxil) combined with radiation.  midway through treatment, prior to starting radiation, tests showed an 80% improvement of the tumor.  by the end of treatment, all tests came back NED and surgery was my option.  i went for the ivor lewis because my dr.s said i had a 45% chance of still having cancer cells and would not know unless i had the surgery....this was my last chance at a 100% cure.  i had surgery on 9/2/08, which proved no cancer!  i am now 11 mos. post surgery and currently NED.

i am curious...why no surgery? 

 God bless and be well.

-Stacey

My mom is dx with EC (squamous cell) at advanced stage in April 2009 at age 62. Her doctor told us no surgery because of her advanced stage. They suspected mets to lungs because of several small lesions on both lungs under 1cm, but can't biopsy them. They also suspected mets to cervix, so she was sent to OBGYN for pap smear, but negative. Lastly, they ordered lymph nodes biopsy but negative again. The radiation oncologist said that they missed the biopsy on her neck, and the lower abdomain is negative. I was never told of her exact staging. After receiving the negative lymph nodes biopsy, her doctors finally agreed to give her combined chemo and radiation. However, mom was hospitalized after two radiation treatments due to constant vomiting. Her doctor did not want her to start chemo until the radiation was done. She finished the radiation almost two weeks ago, but her Medical oncologist was gone on vacation. We will see him tomorrow to discuss chemo, and possibly a feeding tube which mom is much afraid of. She had the stent placed in two weeks after dx. It has been causing much trouble including excruciating pain, nausea, vomiting, lost of appetite etc.

60  years old. i was dx. stage 3  with Adencarcinoma of the gastro  junction in jan.1 of 07.

ivor lewis surgery.Then 5 fu with 6 weeks of radiation . Had 2ed round of chemo in march of 08 for mets to the lymph nodes  in neck,chest area and stomach

 had 6 treatments of epirubcin , oxiplatin, and xeloda.

 

currently neg.since oct. 1 /08 next ct scan 7/22/09

 

                                        GOD BLESS  

                                            PETE