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Canada 02 · 11-06-2013, 10:32 PM

this is a very accurate description of colon cancer staging

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/colonan...-cancer-staged

this is pretty good as well

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/p...ge2#Keypoint14

based on the cancer being in his "lymph nodes as well as into some other part of his body" means that it is at least stage III, likely stage IIIC

it may be stage IV depending on what part of the body the cancer has spread to (liver, lung, peritoneum - could this be the body part he never heard of before; fancy word for lining of the abdominal wall

Questions to ask

1. How many lymph nodes are affected? Did they do a biopsy on a lymph node(s) during the initial surgery or is it based on a scan? Pathological diagnosis is more definitive than a scan.
2. What parts of the body has it spread to?
3. Have they done genetic testing on any samples? There are some targeted molecular therapies that will only work if a specific gene is not mutated
4. What is the chemo regimen? The most common is FOLFOX; another is FOLFIRI. Why did they choose one regimen over another? What are the common side effects? What are the rare side effects? Will he receive an antiemetic to limit the side effects?

PSA - get your regular colonoscopy at age 50 and beyond - depending on the result, 'regular' may be is infrequent as every 10 years; high risk individuals much earlier

11-06-2013, 10:32 PM	#12
Canada 02 Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Exp:	this is a very accurate description of colon cancer staging http://www.cancer.org/cancer/colonan...-cancer-staged this is pretty good as well http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/p...ge2#Keypoint14 based on the cancer being in his "lymph nodes as well as into some other part of his body" means that it is at least stage III, likely stage IIIC it may be stage IV depending on what part of the body the cancer has spread to (liver, lung, peritoneum - could this be the body part he never heard of before; fancy word for lining of the abdominal wall Questions to ask 1. How many lymph nodes are affected? Did they do a biopsy on a lymph node(s) during the initial surgery or is it based on a scan? Pathological diagnosis is more definitive than a scan. 2. What parts of the body has it spread to? 3. Have they done genetic testing on any samples? There are some targeted molecular therapies that will only work if a specific gene is not mutated 4. What is the chemo regimen? The most common is FOLFOX; another is FOLFIRI. Why did they choose one regimen over another? What are the common side effects? What are the rare side effects? Will he receive an antiemetic to limit the side effects? PSA - get your regular colonoscopy at age 50 and beyond - depending on the result, 'regular' may be is infrequent as every 10 years; high risk individuals much earlier Last edited by Canada 02; 11-06-2013 at 10:40 PM.