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Rectal Cancer - Hospital Recommendation

Colorectal Cancer | Last Active: Apr 7 7:26am | Replies (48)
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@colleenyoung

I'd like to bring @dsh33782 (Don) into this discussion. Don didn't have rectal cancer, but rather inoperable esophageal cancer that was successfully treated with chemotherapy and radiation. Shortly after treatment for esophageal cancer, kidney lesions were discovered and shown to be cancerous - a second primary cancer. He was successfully treated for renal cancer too. I may be getting some of the details or timeline wrong. Don, please correct anything I mis-represented.

@mrt2024, I'm sharing Don's story hoping to offer you and your father hope. I know it's a lot to absorb and deal with, not one but two cancers. I'm sure your dad is grateful to have you by his side. Keep asking questions of the cancer care team. And if we can help with first-hand experiences, we will.

Regarding how many specialists to consult for a second opinion, is it possible that they will confer together? This is sometimes referred to as a tumor board where all team members discuss the case together. They do this a many cancer centers, including Mayo Clinic.

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Replies to "I'd like to bring @dsh33782 (Don) into this discussion. Don didn't have rectal cancer, but rather..."
Don Higgins, Volunteer Mentor | @dsh33782 | Mar 13 5:30pm

@mrt2024
Coleen is correct. I first was treated for esophageal cancer with chemo and radiation. Then they found a kidney cancerous tumor and I had surgery to remove my right kideny. Since then the scans showed both the esophageal cancer tumor and the kidney cancer tumor were none and all the lymph nodes were back to normal. I feel very grateful for successful treatment. Please let me know if I can help answer questions?

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mrt2024 | @mrt2024 | Mar 13 11:04pm

It's truly overwhelming to absorb everything. I'm grateful that I'm not facing this alone; my three sisters and mom are all here to support my father. My father seems okay if he is not pretending. That's a relief. However, my oldest sister's pessimism weighs heavily on us. Despite my efforts to share survival statistics and details with her, she remains unconvinced. We make an effort to maintain a cheerful atmosphere around my father, but her attitude makes it challenging.

I'm trying to understand her feelings, but we all need strength to cope. Our conversations have prompted me to delve into the possibility of recurrence. Questions flood my mind: Will it return, and when? The odds of recurrence within five years are around 28%. Is it inevitable? He is 66 now. If it recurs in a decade or earlier, could it metastasize? Will he endure chemotherapy and surgeries again? Will his suffering be severe?

Even though it is difficult, I don't want to dwell on these uncertainties, I want to focus on the present. I hope for his successful treatment with minimal side effects and complications. However, maintaining optimism can sometimes be challenging.

My mother is another worry. At 76, we fear the toll this ordeal might take on her. She's currently unaware of the kidney cancer diagnosis. We've decided not to tell her until after the surgery.

@dsh33782 Thank you for sharing that. Our appointment with the urologist is this Friday. We don't know yet which treatment will be the first, rectal or kidney cancer. It is stage 1 and I don't know if it is gonna be partial nephrectomy or full nephrectomy. Unfortunately, my father also has stage 3 kidney disease. He has been on pill for about 6 years. Is there anything in your mind that I should ask to the doctor?

Thank you both.

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