CancerCompass message board discussion started by Mrysmel on 6/17/2006 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,5695,0.htm Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ My question is. I just learned my mom has lymphnode cancer and i'm curious where exactly is that and does it mean its spreading. Cause i know 1st she had colon cancer and now my dad told me somethiung about lymphnodes. Please what exactly is that? Can you help me? Mrysmel Sat, 17 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT Colon cancer starts in the colon. Eventually it can spread. The first place it usually spreads to is the lymph nodes near the colon. From there it can go to several places such as lymph nodes that are far away from the colon, or to places such as the liver or spleen. Sometimes parents are not completely open and honest with their children because they feel they cannot handle it. Sometimes they just are unclear themselves about what the doctor said was going on. If you think you can handle this, tell your parents you think you can handle this. If it is OK with your parents, go with them to the oncologist next time. Perhaps write down a few of questions that you have and show them to your folks and ask them if it is OK to ask the oncologist. Good questions to ask might be 1. With treatment, is it likely she will be cured? If this is not the case, and if you had to take your best guess, how much time does she have left? 2. What side effects should we expect? Are there any serious side effects that we should call you about, or go to the emergency room for? 3. What is the extent of her illness, or, in other words, where did the cancer start and where has it spread to? 4. Are blood relatives at increased risk for this? Should any of her brothers, sisters, or children have a colonoscopy to look for precancerous polyps, and at what age, and how often should it be repeated? I hope your mom gets better, -Amnia Amnia Sun, 30 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT