Hi Jen and all, I was diagnosed with mid-lower rectal cancer in October and finished 6 weeks of radiation and xeloda at the end of January. The tumor was staged as T3 with no lymph node involvement yet and the stage overall, like yours, was IIa. I had my MRI Monday and met with the medical oncologist on Wednesday. I too have been very anxious about the surgery that is the standard next step for this cancer. I was amazed to find in my appointment on Wednesday that my tumor is completely gone and that there appears to be no lymph node involvement. The next step is an endoscopy from the surgeon on March 10 to verify the status of my cancer. If I have indeed had a "complete response" to the CRT, meaning the cancer is gone, then I may be a candidate for a "watch and wait" protocol. This would mean careful surveillance over the next couple of years with the possibility of avoiding surgery. There may be additional chemo to ensure that there is no distant spread of cancer. If they find residual cancer, they will have to do the surgery.

I share this to give some hope as to how effective the chemo-radiation treatment can be. I know that it is not always this effective, but it can be. I've been taking this journey one step at a time and that feels necessary. Every cancer is different and the protocols need to be evaluated each step along the way.

I also completely relate to how scary the thought of permanent change to your body is. But I do have faith that if need be, others have travelled this road and I will just have to follow and adapt as so many have. Agreed with all that finding a team that really listens and thinks through options with you is important. I found that to be true of my team at Penn Medicine the more we actually got into the treatment and the care truly began. Holding you in the Light, as Quakers say, for this scary journey, hoping for the best possible care, peace of mind along the way and the best possible outcomes.

Finally, just a note that the chemo-radiation was not easy, but definitely doable. Hope this is helpful- with you in spirit.

Rich