brother stage IV withmets to liver and lungs

My brother was diagnosed in Feb with stage IV colon/rectal cancer with mets to liver. He has undergone several treatments of chemo with good results, he was told 2 weeks ago that they could now operate and removed cancer in liver and colon and he could be cancer free.  Well today they had him do a lung biopsy as there were some nodules in his lungs.  I just got the call and they confirmed that too is cancer.  So now surgery is out of the question.  Does anyone know what we can expect from this point on?  He is not having any problems from the cancer yet in any part of his body.  My heart is broken...They just told him 2 weeks ago he could be cancer free.  He is not even awake from the biopsy yet and when they tell him he is going to be crushed.  Is there hope still?

Lisa,

With the cancer in multiple spots, they will probably keep him on systemic chemo with the hope of shrinking/stabilizing the cancer. The chemos of today are much better than they have been in the past and many patients have had tumors completely disappear.  Most oncologists will tell you that chemo isn't a cure because it can never kill 100% of the cells.  But perhaps it can kill enough of the tumor so that he becomes operable again.  What type of chemo is he on?  Folfox and Avastin?  Has he been tested for the Kras mutation?  That will determine if Erbitux/Vectibix is an option.  Since he just started chemo he also has a second line chemo that will be available should the first line treatment fail.

Make sure your brother drinks plenty of water with each treatment.  He should also be eating foods that have been shown to help fight cancer such as broccoli, asparagus, etc.  Also, eating a low glycemic diet (basically the same diet that a diabetic eats) has been shown to help by preventing spikes of insulin growth factor which can increase the cancer's growth. 

Take a deep breathe and be prepared for a marathon.  The average lifespan of a Stage 4 colon cancer patient is now 30 months and going up.  There are new drugs in clinical trials and researchers are going after cancer at the protein and molecular levels.  Radiation treatments are continuing to evolve.  I think we will have significant breakthroughs in the next 3 years. 

Jack

  HI.

 So sorry to hear news of your brother, and you said is there any hope and YES there is plenty of hope, your brother has joined the journey of thousands and thousands of others, and the  advances of medicine to treat colon cancer is amazing.

 It is not an easy road BUT with a positive attitude, and right treatment, and good diet  he can go a long way.

  I have researched.. Body, Cancer, and Diet for 8 yrs... because of my wife having stage V1 cancer... so if you want any info or help   please just ask....

How old is your brother...

  God Bless You Both ......Rob and Barb

I am dealing with stage 4 colon cancer met to liver and lungs.  I am on my second round of chemo and determined to win.  I would be very interested if you could share some of your diet research with me.  Presently I eat no meat, no white products, and no sugar.  I try to buy only organic but that can be a struggle both finding it and financially.  I hope your wife is doing well.  We will stay positive and survive.

Thank you,

Elizabeth

Hi elizabeth, thanks for  message, check out on google  asparagus and cancer linseed oil and cancer  milk thistle and the liver  garlic, coumidin and mushrooms and all the veg esp broccoli is very good  eat  raw like carrotts, cauli flower and broccoli as much as u can and also steamed lightly so u dont lose all the nutrients... you will need protein  if u do not eat meat,, chicken is ok and so is turkey and fish and tuna.... Its the red meat that is not so good but red meat say once every 2 weeks is fine.... u will need to drink lots of water every day and take a good muli vitimin to keep the nutrients in the body... And eat lots of fruit and veg and nuts .... you do not have to have every thing organic, just make sure you wash it all good... Only thing we have organic is milk   check out on google about milk ....  you can get some great books from your local libary on cancer and diet..  hope this is all a help .. You can email  us --Message edited by CancerCompass staff. For personal protection, email address removed. Consider private reply. Please review CancerCompass Member Guidelines at http://www.cancercompass.com/common/guidelines.html-- Make sure you stay positive and pray often as god still heals today ... And never give up and try to excercise as much as you can every day....God bless you  elizabeth ...