Newly diagnosed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESSC)

Posted by yinouye @yinouye, Jun 3, 2022

Last month my husband was admitted to the ICU after an endoscopy. The GI doctor said she found a large mass on his esophagus and biopsied it. For some reason he came out of the procedure bleeding profusely, could not swallow anything because of the bleeding. Clots had completely blocked his esophagus. They infused 4 units of blood and he stayed in ICU for 5 days losing 10lbs because he could not eat and they were not giving him any nutrition. The biopsy came back “inconclusive” but when I read the notes it said “negative”. The GI doctor said she must have missed the mass. Now how does that happen if it’s so big? We started radiation (10) to shrink the mass and stop the bleeding. A CT scan the first day in The hospital showed nodules in the lungs, so they said it had metastasized and was stage 4. This was all before any pathology reports came back (takes a week). A FNA of a lump on his cheek that was suspected parotitis showed squamous cell cancer. A biopsy of the lung was scheduled and a CT scan showed the nodules had shrunk by 50%. Seemed promising that it wasn’t cancer, but the pathology came back squamous cell carcinoma as well.
We started FolfOx6 chemo today. Does anyone have any similar experience? The day before the endoscopy we were skiing top to bottom at mammoth mountain, so this is quite shocking. He has always been an athlete & was quite healthy before this.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Esophageal Cancer Support Group.

yinouye | @yinouye | Jun 4, 2022

In reply to @hopeful33250 "Hello @yinouye and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It sounds as if you and your husband..." + (show)

Thank you for your reply. We did get a second opinion at Cedars Sinai. They agreed with the chemo and recommended the addition of nivolumab, which will happen next cycle. There is a little discrepancy with the timing of the follow up PET-ct scan though. I would love to get an opinion from the oncologists at Mayo Clinic. Thank you for the info.

Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jun 4, 2022

Hello @yinouye and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It sounds as if you and your husband have had some real challenges following his endoscopy. From your post, it appears that the radiation reduced the lung nodules. Is this correct?

Given the extensive nature of your husband's problems following the endoscopy and the testing that has been done, have you considered getting a second opinion from a leading cancer center? If you do get a second opinion, I would suggest a multi-disciplined center such as a university medical school or a facility like Mayo Clinic.

If you don't live near a Mayo facility (there are three) you might find it helpful to get a video consult in order to make sure that your husband's current treatment plan is the best for his situation. Here is information on scheduling an appointment at Mayo Clinic http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

I hope that you post again with an update about your husband's condition. How often will he be getting the FolfOx6 chemo?