Prostate Cancer Blog

Posts Tagged ‘chemo’

My loved one has stage-4 colon cancer. They removed 18" of his colon, but it has spread to the liver and throughout his abdomen. Please help me to know what to expect. He starts chemo tomorrow. Any knowledge would be most appreciated.

that depends on the chemo regiment that he’s put on, but I’ll agree with fatigue and nausea being the most common side effects.

A person very dear to me had colon cancer in 2007 and had a successful surgery to remove the tumor. She also had some months of coadyuvant therapy (chemo?). There have been further (clean) colorectal exams but I wonder which other exams are ordered in the first year or two following the surgery to guard against possible spread to other organs?
She has regular blood exams, every 6 months. Had recently (1 yr) a colonoscopy that came out good. But no CT scan which is what worries me.

sounds like your friend had the same handling as my husband: surgery + adjuvant chemo. "Adjuvant chemo" is preventative – it’s to mop up any loose cancer cells.

The followups will depend on the exact nature of the cancer (there are different types even within colon cancer …e.g. adenocarcinoma) and the oncologist. Hubby has had
- colonoscopy immediately post chemo finishing
- CT scans immediately post chemo, and then every 6 months until 2 years from diagnosis
- blood tests every 6 months

He’ll probably have another colonoscopy in 2010, and CT scans are now annual until 5 years.

My husband is 33 and I am 24. He has been told he has testicular cancer. He is nearly done with his second chemotherapy cycle he has two more to go. We have only been married for seven months. He has terrible mood swings. There are times he is slow talking (mubling) and hateful. Before, he became sick he was the sweetest and most kindest person. I know that it is the chemo and his medication causing his bad moods.

I want to be more patient and understanding with him. My nerves are not in the best shape. I suffer from depression and take prozac. I am scared of loosing him to the cancer.I lost my grandfather to cancer when I was thirteen. I still have not gotton over my grandfather’s death.

My whole family is praying for him and have at least seven churches in seven states praying for him.

Any ideas on how I can be more patient with my husband?

When someone is suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy, it can not only give them physical symptoms but emotional issues as well. Combine his chemo related and cancer related horror to the fear that he is experiencing as a man that he may fear he is losing his masculinity and ability to love you completely, it explains the mood swings.

Be supportive but don’t wallow! That doesn’t help either one of you!

Join a support group.

Give yourself permission to get out and do something at least one day a week for YOU. It will help you be a better wife to him and a better caregiver during this painful time in your marriage.

I urge you to find some counseling where you can not only work through this current pain, but also to help you deal with
the loss of your grandfather.

Contrary to what society would have us believe, there is NO timetable on grief and we all experience it in different ways.

Make sure to take your medication regularly. Exercise and eat right. Nothing hurts a caregiver more than not taking care of themselves. Get sufficient rest.

If he has problems sleeping and needs someone to sit up with him, consider asking some church friends to come and sit up with him so that you can get enough rest to refill your reservoir of strength and patience.

Be willing to admit that you too are entitled to a few bad days of your own! This isn’t just his battle – the two of you are going through it.

Good luck!

Any encouraging stories from any one who knows anyone or had Stage 4 prostate cancer?

Yes, a man I know with stage 4 prostate cancer had is prostate removed and underwent chemo therapy. The first year was real rough for him. While he did have some side affects from the chemo, he is still alive and his health is good. He was diagnosed & treated 6 years ago.

here are some web sites that have lots of information about the "grading" systems of prostate cancer and what they mean.

http://prostatecancer.about.com/od/treatments/a/stage4.htm

http://www.urologychannel.com/prostatecancer/stagingsystems.shtml

It depends on what stage it is in or how much it has spread. Sometimes they can treat it with surgery or chemo/radiation therapy. If you catch it really late, and it has spread, yes it can be fatal.

My grandson was conceived while my son was being treated for testicular cancer. The baby had a malignant tumor on his kidney, and had to have the kidney removed and is currently undergoing chemotheraphy. Could the cancer be passed through my son’s sperm, or be caused by my son’s chemo treatment?

The chemotherapy drugs should not have caused the renal cancer in the son of the patient (your son) being treated for testicular cancer. This would seem impossible to prove in any case.
We hope your son and grandson both recover fully.

I have an inlaw that underwent a recurring surgery to have his colon removed. His cancer has spreaded to his liver.

"Panda" is the top answerer in this category, but I have to
disagree with her statement that "stage IV disease . . . means that it will be more difficult to treat and take longer than a stage 1 .. that’s all." Colon cancer metastatic to the liver is not likely to be cured in any medical center.

Chemotherapy is usually given to buy some time – often in terms of extra months rather than many years. The chemotherapy given for colon carcinoma is usually better tolerated than more aggressive regimens used for other types of cancer.

I have had some patients tolerate 5FU based chemo regimens well enough to work if they wanted to – usually they did not. Often it is the advancing malignancy in the liver that leads to weakness and weight loss plus lack of energy and decreased activity level.

Added note re: Lola’s answer (which is otherwise fine) – I’ve never heard a stage "five" cancer. Stage four means the cancer has spread to distant areas – such as the liver in this case. There is no stage beyond stage four.
And stage does refer to the malignant disease – not to the treatment – though the treatment is tailored to the stage of the disease. These are small points.

What you want to know is that the treatment is usually not very rough. If your family member is in good shape, he may have some good quality time left. If there is truly significant liver involvement, many years of survival would be unusual.

Survival does vary with the level of involvement. The National Cancer Institute indicates that people with three or fewer lesions in the liver can do better.for longer periods — perhaps 25% survival at five years compared to less than 5% survival at five years for more extensive liver involvement

Correcting myself – Lola is correct. If you count stage 0, there are five stages – - but stage four is the last stage.

Also – of course no doctor is God and no one can say when someone will die. We can only provide information about the usual outcomes based on previous people. I did not use the word "terminal" in my cancer specialty medicine practice. All of us are terminal. There are always people who do better than average.

My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is in the early stages of it. I don’t know exactly what phase or much about it for that matter. Nonetheless I am worried and scared and so is my mother. He has two options to remove it either chemo or surgery. Does anyone know which option might be better and does anyone have experiences where someone in their life had this and was fine afterward?

I had prostate cancer. It’s a slow growing cancer, so your lucky if you catch it early enough. I had my prostate removed, and am now cancer free. Been so for four years. I recommend the operation. Chemo tends to kill some of the good cells. And who needs the sick feelings from chemo? The results of the operation wear off quickly.

5 years ago i had bep chemo to clear me of testicular cancer, whats the chance of it recurring after all this time?

If you’re five years out your chances of recurrence are quite luck. Congrats! If you want more info you might want to check some of the links here. There are five different groups here http://acnwresourcepages.blogspot.com/search/label/Testicular%20Cancer

http://prostate-cancer-symptoms.info

Symptoms of prostate cancer may include the following: urinary problems, such as not being able to urinate, having a hard time starting or stopping the flow of urine, needing to urinate often, especially at night, weak flow of urine, urine flow that starts and stops, pain or burning during urination, difficulty having an erection, blood in the urine or semen, and/or frequent pain in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs. Prostate cancer usually does not cause symptoms in the beginning stages. By the time symptoms do occur, the disease may have spread beyond the prostate.

The “Prostate Cancer Treatment” report includes a review of possible signs and symptoms (such as weak flow of urine or painful ejactulation); descriptions of the various tests used for diagnosis (including digital rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen test); an explanation of the various stages of prostate cancer (Stages I, II, III, and IV); an overview of treatment options (including watchful waiting, surgery, and radation therapy); and also includes 10 pages of related medical terminology (to help you understand what your medical provider is talking about.

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