Just diagnosed: Surgery not an option, looking for hope

Thanks for all the responses. I enjoy reading about the experiences of others. It does inspire me and gives me hope. I have an appointment for another opinion/possible treatment options at MD Anderson in Houston in March. They only do in person appointments (I live in Indiana) so I will have to go there, but spring is a great time to go to Texas. I lived in Beaumont, TX, for about 5 years during Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent hurricane when I decided I needed to relocate to Indiana for better weather. I am able to enjoy all four seasons here which is fantastic for my state of mind. Before my last scheduled maintenance chemo, it was discovered that I had a lung infection so I was started on antibiotics and the chemo infusion was cancelled. I go in tomorrow for lab, oncology appointment AND infusion on the same day! So thankful for that change in schedule so that means only two days of appointments instead of three like it had been previously.

In answer to some questions above, I have had my tumor genotyped, and it is nothing that can benefit from targeted therapy as the microsatellite instability is low. I was told by the nurse at MD Anderson that their CT scan equipment is much more sensitive and can pick up things that others do not. He also told me that many times cancer is misdiagnosed (?) and it is actually some other type of disorder, virus or cellular disease. Not sure that is the case, so I will find out more in March. He also said there are other possible treatment options, so I'm hoping for positive news there.

I'm in a better state of mind today than I was when I wrote the previous update. I still feel like I'm in limbo when it comes to end of life planning. I don't feel it's urgent to get things in order completely, but it is in the back of my mind. I know many people who die in accidents that don't have any thoughts about their life ending, so in that way I do feel fortunate.

Thank you for your support and encouragement. Your strength and positive attitudes are definitely inspiring to me and hopefully to others at the same time.

Vernon Zigler

Nobiletin (NOB) is a flavonoid derived from citrus peel
NOB was found to have anti-tumor efficacy. The present studies on the anti-tumor mechanism of NOB mainly focus on inhibiting the growth and proliferation of tumor cells, inducing accelerated apoptosis of tumor cells, inhibiting metastasis of tumor cells, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, and regulating the tumor cell cycle and protein expression (Goh et al., 2019). NOB can inhibit human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell growth and apoptosis through the PARP-2/SIRT1/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway (Zheng et al., 2019). NOB can regulate Src/FAK/STAT3 signaling, reduce VEGF production, and inhibit angiogenesis in breast cancer cells (Sp et al., 2017). Most recently, it has been shown that NOB can combine with chemotherapeutic drugs to enhance the sensitivity of chemotherapeutic drugs and play a synergistic anti-tumor effect. Li et al. (2019) investigated the efficacy of NOB on oxaliplatin using colorectal cancer cell lines.
They revealed that NOB increased the sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to oxaliplatin chemotherapy through downregulation of the PI3K/protein kinase B (AKT)/mTOR pathway, and NOB promoted oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1354809/full

Hi. I am 49 years old and I was diagnosed with a colon tumor and metastases in the liver and a couple of lymph nodes. There is a small chance of surgery if the metastases give in. I have gone through 6 chemotherapy cycles and once in Germany for TACE treatment. The trip to Germany was really tough and I wonder if I got too many toxins into my body for one day. The day after tomorrow, 2.12, I will have another scan and I hope it has not spread. The result of the previous scan was a decrease in the tumor and metastases and that gave me hope. I have also tried to exercise when I can, eat a keto diet, take cold baths, and have high-pressure oxygen treatments. Whatever was done, I hope that we all get at least a little good news in the future and that we can live a long life with our families.

My son was diagnosed in Jan.25, and he had chemo and radiation, and the mass is gone, but had a spot where penetrated the colon wall. Cancer mass was in sphincter. The doctor tells him he will never be cured and recommends surgery. Son says no to surgery and he is treating himself with diet, vitamins, and can't even remember the supplements he is taking. He researched all this and came up with this plan. He feels good and looks great and I suggest he at least speak to surgeon but said no but he may decide too later on. He is 51 always healthy and eats keto diet, exercises, so a shock to find the cancer. I pray for him and I will pray for you too. He is strict with his routine and has the discipline to do so. Fighting for your life can give you the discipline. Prayers for you and my son.

@quimbie
Good morning @quimbie,
Things sound a bit scary at these times: Trusting in others and oneself can be very challenging and at times creates more apprehension. I have a daughter who will be 61 this month and she has lived in the British and U.S. Virgin Islands on and off for some 20 years. Currently, she resides in the states, and she and I have had similar conversations such as you and your son. We can only share our experiences and listen to their responses: In this way, both parties have additional opportunities for deeper understandings of any situations and I, personally believe, that just being there, involved in any conversation with our children, usually turns out to be fruitful. Usually, we are never aware that we have helped, but life kind of works itself for the better sometimes, if we just have a bit of faith in ourselves and others.
Keep on encouraging him and listening to him; sometimes that is all our job as parents allows us to do. He's fortunate to have you in his life and it sounds like he is quite responsible for the management of his human needs and limitations. And, of course, always have faith in tomorrows.
Jofree

@jofree Thank you for the kind words, and yes, I will support him whatever he decides . He is a good son to me and has been a big help the last few years. Thank you, and I hope all is well with your daughter as well.