My Dad Has Stomach Cancer

My dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer last May 2005. At first they said it was localised within the stomach and would operate, they then did a scan and found that infact there was some movement towards the stomach wall and lymph nodes so surgery was out of the question. He then underwent chemotherepy cisplatin 5fu and Flurocel (I think the last one is correct). Anyway the side affects were pretty bad but not that severe and we found that it got rid of pretty much all of the cancer. They then decided to open him up at christmas and hopefully do the operation to remove all of his stomach and then be cancerfree. We were so hopeful. When they opened him up, the surgeon decided that he would not go ahead as it was too risky as there was some movement towards the bowel. He has not had any chemotherepy now since November, he went for a scan about a month ago and it showed that it was not abit in the bowel but not much in the stomach itself, is this called secondary? Anyway the plan was to get him on a trial called t cell therapy in christies in the UK as it has had positive results in clinic but hasnt been tested on humans yet. The date has been put back though and we now fear he wont go on this trial. He has lost more weight and cant eat very well and wretches when he does try. Because he isnt eating he is weak. We dont know whether it is the side affects of the cancer that is making him sick or whether the cancer is active again. We are just scared and broken. I have the most beautiful dad in the world, amd my mum has the most caring selfless husband ever. I have a brother also, we are just distraught. The pain I have in my heart/in our hearts just stabs us every day all day just thinking of what my dad is going through. We love him so so much.too much possibly. If I could haveit for my dad I would. He just adores us. Any comments or thoughts please email me or reply. --- Message edited by CancerCompass staff: for personal protection, email address removed. Please review CancerCompass Member Guidelines at http://www.cancercompass.com/common/guidelines.html ----

Ask your dad's oncologist about putting him on the following combination of drugs: CISPLATIN 100 mg po dose 67 mg, MANNITOL 25/ (might be 25%) FTV 2 dose 100 mg and CAMPTOSAR 100mg dose 95 mg. My brother who was extremely ill with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach diffuse cell type responded nicely to these drugs. His hometown oncologist has another patient, same late stage cancer, who is in remission (for 5 months) on this combination of drugs. It has been approved in the U.S. for only a short while. These drugs were prescribed by MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. It is one of the two leading cancer centers in the US. Good luck. Get chemotherapy as soon as possible.

I hope your dad gets better. my brother also has gastric cancer. did you ever see a children's program called "mr roger's neighborhood" ? fred rogers also had gastric cancer.

Alot of cases of gastric cancer seem to be associated with a bacteria in the stomach called Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) .. your dad should be tested for it and treated it he has it. If he has it, everyone else in the family should be tested for it as well. There is a blood test and a breath test. Helicobacter Pylori is a bacteria that has been implicated in causing gastric cancer. It is not clear how H.Pylori infection is transmitted, but studies show that if one person in the family has it, there is an increased likelihood that others in the family will have it as well. Wikipedia explains it pretty well at this link:

-----http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicobacter_pylori#Gastric_can

although i do not think that they have a cure yet for gastric cancer, they keep improving the regimen of drugs which gives people more time. the latest regimen of drugs, which might be what your dad already got, is discussed in this link:

-----http://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-news/1,9262,00.htm-----

this is also what my brother is getting.

Most of the standard three drugs treatments for gastric cancer have variations of cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and a third drug. Taxotere is the drug they tested in the link above, and it seems to be good. It interferes with cell division. When cells divide, the chromosomes first replicate themselves. Then, microtubules pull the chromosomes apart so that there is a complete set of chromosomes at opposite poles of the cell. Taxotere helps form the network of tubules but then prevents them from being dismantled. Camptosar, mentioned in the previous reply, also looks very good. I think it is used after taxotere has been tried. Camptosar, also called irinotecan, prevents the chromosomes from successfully replicating. Normally, cells make small temporary nicks in the DNA so the DNA can twist and turn during the replication process. Camptosar makes these nicks permanent and when the DNA tries to replicate it comes apart.

I hope you and your dad have alot more time together. Best Wishes to you and your family.

Amnia

Thank you so much for your response. Rachel.

Atlanta screen name also, thank you for replying to me message. Rachel.

Amenia,

It was never officially determined that my husband had h-pylori although I am pretty sure that he had. Is this an infectious disease? Is it something that I should be concerned about for myself and my daughter?

Please advise
J

Dear Inazone2,

Yes, you should be tested. There is a blood test and there is a breath test to test for H.Pylori. If you have H.Pylori it is easily treated with a course of antibiotics called a Prevpac. H.Pylori is a bacteria that can live in the stomach and cause gastric cancer.

Link to American Cancer Society Page on this topic:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Family_Hi


Link to wikipedia that explains H.Pylori:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.pylori#Gastric_cancer_connect

Amnia,

How is the h-pyloria bacteria transferred from one person to another. Like I said, it was never determined that my husband had the infection. This was about 3 or 4 years ago that the issue even came up.

Lastly, do you work with CTCA?

Janeen

Dear Jan,

I am not with CTCA. I am a primary care doctor but I retired in 2003 due to stage iv cancer. I have recently become interested in gastric cancer as my brother-in-law was diagnosed with it in May of this year.

No one really knows how H.Pylori is transmitted. There is a lot of speculation and interest in this topic. Some believe it is found on the surface of unwashed fruits. Some believe it is transmitted from fecal material - someone did not wash their hands after a bowel movement and handled food that was eaten. But no one yet has figured it out. Approximately 50% of people in the US have H.Pylori in their stomach and do not know it. 90% of people in third world countries have it in their stomachs and do not know it.

Here is a link to read about it:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&d

If the link doesn't work just google "h.pylori transmission"

I will keep you both in my prayers.
-Amnia

Rachel,

I am sorry to hear about your father....he sounds like the perfect father and husband...somtimes I wonder why these things happen to such good people.....

I too had stomach cancer where most of my stomach was removed in Nov.2003...I had stage3 and 12 of 25 lymph nodes were detected cancerous..my situation although bleak at the time were not the same as your fathers...I know this may sound like a crazy idea because it sounds like you live in Europe but the two main hosiptals thta deal excluisively with different types of cancer are Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City and M D Anderson in Houston, Texas....I am sure their are are other qualified hosiptals around the world but these are the top two....If there was some way of geting your father to one of the hosiptals it might make a difference...In the meantime please believe that there is a body / mind connection so tell your father and everyone in your family to be as positive as possible I know because I have been there and at times it is difficult to be upbeat but if the mind is positive so can the body....if you would like to email me directly you can do so at --- Message edited by CancerCompass staff: for personal protection, email address removed. Please review CancerCompass Member Guidelines at http://www.cancercompass.com/common/guidelines.html ----so far I thank God that I am cancer free.....I will pray for your father and please feel free to email me with any thoughts or questions.....

Regards,

Charles