Metastatic Melanoma In Rectum With Liver Mets

Please help us to figure this all out!  My mother, last week on her 67th birthday, was diagnosed with inoperable metastatic melanoma in the rectum with mets to the liver.  They removed part of the primary tumor in the rectum but could not get the whole thing.  Her oncologist is recommending looking at clinical trials but when I registered her with Dana Farber, I received 44 possible studies in the U.S.  How do we begin to even analyze these?  Is there anything out there that has even some good effect?  Otherwise, she can go on the standard chemo of Temzolomide but I understand that it is not that effective.  Please give us some guidance - we are at an absolute loss.  She is willing to go anywhere if there is some good promise in the program.  Any advice is welcome.  Thank you.

 

On 2/28/2007 Stefhef wrote:

Please help us to figure this all out!  My mother, last week on her 67th birthday, was diagnosed with inoperable metastatic melanoma in the rectum with mets to the liver.  They removed part of the primary tumor in the rectum but could not get the whole thing.  Her oncologist is recommending looking at clinical trials but when I registered her with Dana Farber, I received 44 possible studies in the U.S.  How do we begin to even analyze these?  Is there anything out there that has even some good effect?  Otherwise, she can go on the standard chemo of Temzolomide but I understand that it is not that effective.  Please give us some guidance - we are at an absolute loss.  She is willing to go anywhere if there is some good promise in the program.  Any advice is welcome.  Thank you.

Rectal melanoma is very rare.  You probably cant even find much on the internet about it.  The treatment for rectal melanoma is surgery.  If surgery is not possible, then treatment options are rare and prognosis is poor.  A clinical trial is advised because nothing else has any impact on survival.  I would think your doc could help you decide which one would be appropriate.  I have seen where the combination of dacarbazine, vincristine, and carmustine has helped survival in some patients.

 

On 2/28/2007 Oncrx wrote:

 

On 2/28/2007 Stefhef wrote:

Please help us to figure this all out!  My mother, last week on her 67th birthday, was diagnosed with inoperable metastatic melanoma in the rectum with mets to the liver.  They removed part of the primary tumor in the rectum but could not get the whole thing.  Her oncologist is recommending looking at clinical trials but when I registered her with Dana Farber, I received 44 possible studies in the U.S.  How do we begin to even analyze these?  Is there anything out there that has even some good effect?  Otherwise, she can go on the standard chemo of Temzolomide but I understand that it is not that effective.  Please give us some guidance - we are at an absolute loss.  She is willing to go anywhere if there is some good promise in the program.  Any advice is welcome.  Thank you.

Rectal melanoma is very rare.  You probably cant even find much on the internet about it.  The treatment for rectal melanoma is surgery.  If surgery is not possible, then treatment options are rare and prognosis is poor.  A clinical trial is advised because nothing else has any impact on survival.  I would think your doc could help you decide which one would be appropriate.  I have seen where the combination of dacarbazine, vincristine, and carmustine has helped survival in some patients.

 

Dear Caregiver and your mother....

Yes, I also had Rectal Melanoma, all the Boston Doctors demanded that I get a Total Cholostomy....Not on my life, I believe that building up my immune system with IV Vit C, 1x a week accomplished that, I never got Mets to the liver, but I went to Cancer treatment center in Philly,I was directed to a Dr Marks at Lankenau Hospital, he did surgery, my Oncologist Dr Willis gave me Target directed Radiation called TomoTherapy, Thallidomide for 6 months, and Temador Chemo. a pill...

Ive been in Remission for a year. I also try to eat organic foods and continue my vitamins....Please let me know what you think. if I can be of help...Jeanne

Jeanne, My sister was diagnosed in April 2006 with rectal melanoma. She had surgery and had regular CT scans etc. and was free and clear up until July 2007. It showed that the melanoma returned to her rectum and is 3 inches in size. The PET revealed mets to lung and possibly liver, although they don't know for sure that it is melanoma (liver) until they do a biopsy. they were recommending a full colostomy, but the melanoma is so close to the vaginal wall that they may end up having to alter that area as well. Not something she was looking forward to. The doctors here are now thinking she should be treated before the surgery, there is a clinical trial here in our area that combines paclitaxel and carboplatin that she may qualify for. My question to anyone out there....has anyone had this same path? why didn't they treat her after her first surgery? why is it taking so long to find a clinical trial and move on this fast??? I am so frustrated with this whole process, as I'm sure she is. But she just trusts her doctors completely and thinks they are all doing the right things all the time. I am beginning to wonder. I know it takes time to get in a trial, but we live right in the area where there is this phase III trial and it's been a couple weeks since we found out that it has spread to those vital organs. Has anyone had any remission with these types of drugs? what kinds of side effects have any of you had on these? She is only 47. Otherwise healthy. Any information would be so helpful and much appreciated!!! God Bless you! CF