CT Scan Results, Maintenance, and Prognosis

Hello family and friends!  It's been 5 weeks since surgery and I feel great.  There is no more pain, and just a bit of muscle soreness in my lower abdomen, but aside from that (and having to use the restroom quite frequently), the healing has been going wonderfully.  I met with my oncologist, Dr. Back, yesterday to go over the CT scan results and ask a number of questions I had in mind (my auditor hat was on strong during this meeting!) and wanted to share the details with you here.

CT Scan Results: There was a worry on my mind that since I have been off chemo since mid August that the cancer would have a chance to grow or spread.  Based on the results of the CT scan, there are no new instances of cancer in other organs, and the tumors on the lungs did not grow or increase in number.  There was no sign of cancer on the colon or liver either, just now on the lungs, which is great!  I also got back my CEA number from 10/14 and it was down to <0.7.

Lung Treatment Options: As mentioned before, the cancer on the lungs is far less treatable than on the liver because the lungs do not regenerate as well, and the treatment may cause permanent damage.  Dr. Back said that less than 10% of patients with cancer on the lungs has any treatment performed (aside from chemo), but he said that we won't rule it out yet and will revisit this after my next few rounds of chemo.  A lung transplant is also not preferred, because to allow the body to accept the new lung, the immune system needs to be slowed down, which would allow the cancer to grow at a much faster rate, causing more harm than good.  At this point, I don't feel any affects of the cancer on my lungs, no shortness of breath or any other symptoms.

Maintenance After Chemo: Once I complete my last few rounds of chemo, I will be taking an oral chemo pill called Xeloda.  This new regimen will be a three-week cycle, taking the pills for 14 days, with a one week break following.  I will also still be on Avastin, which will require a 30 minute or so infusion prior to each cycle.  I hope that the side effects won't be too strong from the Xeloda so I can return to work, but we'll transition slowly and see how things go.  I will also have regular CT scans to ensure the cancer hasn't grown or spread to new areas.

Prognosis: As mentioned before, the doctor said that we're in the best place possible given the surgery and the positive response to chemo.  He mentioned that approximately 20% of patients survive past the standard expectancy of 2.5 years after the initial diagnosis, and that he is cautiously optimistic for me (which doesn't match the data from this link, but oh well).

I'll resume my standard FOLFOXIRI chemo regimen next Thursday for 3 or 4 rounds (depending on how I feel after the third round) and will continue to provide updates.  

I am so grateful to have everyone's support including your words of encouragement, bringing food over, and of course all the thoughts and prayers.  Thanks again for reading and have a wonderful week!