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  • Chemo after surgery

    Posted by Corbin on September 22, 2010 at 2:54 am

    My sister was diagnosed with bladder cancer in February. She had a couple months of chemo. The first week of August she had surgery to remove the bladder. She opted for an internal bag but when they did the surgery they found more cancer so they did the external bag. Recovery from the surgery seems to be going very well. She has been told that the cancer that was found (in the lymph nodes) will be treated with additional chemo, however, the chemo won’t start until after her next appt with the surgeon and that isn’t until the end of October! I understand that she has to recover completely from the surgery but 3 months seems like a long time to wait before attacking the cancer that was found. I know every individual is different but would like to hear from others as to whether or not this is “normal” or if this seems like a long period to wait. Thanks.

    jimswife replied 14 years, 4 months ago 3 Members · 9 Replies
  • 9 Replies
  • jimswife's avatar

    jimswife

    Member
    September 27, 2010 at 2:59 pm

    Corbin, I feel for you so much and know that as pat says you are a great brother who really loves his sister and only wants what is best for her. When you go to visit in Oct. just love her and listen to what she is saying. Maybe she will setup and appt for you to join her at her doctors. Perhaps that may put your mind at ease. Meanwhile, don’t beat yourself up too much, she is her own master and you can just offer suggestions. Wishing you both well!

  • 's avatar

    Guest
    September 26, 2010 at 10:31 pm

    Corbin…well he has great credentials…if only your sister had a prostate!
    “Learning this technical skill has been a worthwhile endeavor as it has improved the quality of care I can deliver to those patients with early stage prostate cancer”
    Thats his area of expertise.
    You’re a great brother. You tried.
    pat

  • Corbin's avatar

    Corbin

    Member
    September 26, 2010 at 9:53 pm

    I just got off the phone with my sister. I tried to discuss what I have learned here with her but she would have none of it. She said she trusts her doctor completely and doesn’t feel a need to get a second opinion or question him about the treatment plan he has decided. Her surgeon is Greenberg:
    http://www.fccc.edu/physicians/surgical/greenberg.html
    I will be visiting my sister in mid-October. I may try again in person but I doubt I will get any further. This makes me very frustrated and very sad. I can only hope that she is right but I don’t find much reason to believe that will be the case. Thanks for listening.

  • 's avatar

    Guest
    September 23, 2010 at 3:45 am

    Wow…this is a case of gross understaging even with a very old Ct scanner. Most hospitals now have the helical computed tomography which would pick up those lymph nodes and perivesical fat. Fox Chase is no slouch but U. of Penn is better and i really don’t understand an oncologist giving 2 cycles of Cisplatin/Gemzar. I mean there are new versions out there such as the one at USC/Norris…..i don’t know what to say. Maybe she should travel to Osaka Japan and see if she can get in on their program which i just listed in Articles of Interest.
    Or at least get a second opinion from U. of Penn and Dr. Malkowicz
    http://www.pennmedicine.org/Wagform/MainPage.aspx?config=provider&P=PP&ID=1398
    None of this sounds right to me..i mean you have the TURB and pathology, CT scans, blood work, bone scans..if invasive then chemo started within 2 weeks and then cystectomy within 6 weeks after that…and inbetween you get a second opinion..but this was definately not contained within the bladder.
    i know you are trying to help and sis is staying blissfully ignorant….help her out….Pat

  • Corbin's avatar

    Corbin

    Member
    September 23, 2010 at 1:43 am

    I’m certainly interested to hear of any experiences / thoughts about Fox Chase. I live in Ohio so am not familiar with it at all. I am frustrated by my sister’s response to her cancer diagnosis. From what I can tell, she asks very few questions of the doctors and my guess (based on growing up with her!) is she probably discourages much discussion. I, on the other hand, want as much information as possible. I sent her links to this site on several occasions but as far as I know, she has never looked at it. That’s why I decided to sign in and start asking my own questions. I asked my sister again recently how her cancer was staged and she said she didn’t ask. !!!! I have made my own guesses based on the information she has provided, which isn’t very much. Here is what I know. She said the tumor had not broken through the wall of the bladder. She had scans but I don’t know details. The drugs she was given during her initial chemo were cisplatin and gemzar. She had two rounds, was told by one doctor that was all that was needed, went to the surgeon who said no, it should have been three so went for another. The pathology report after the surgery stated the cancer has spread to 3 of the 5 lymph nodes in the right pelvic region and 2 of the 17 in the left pelvic region. It also spread to the perivesical fat in the left leg. As far as treatment plans – she said she has been told it will be chemo but the details will be figured out after the next appointment with the surgeon which is the end of October. My sister is 54.

  • Corbin's avatar

    Corbin

    Member
    September 22, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    I’ll provide more information later but wanted to let you know her surgery was done at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

  • jimswife's avatar

    jimswife

    Member
    September 22, 2010 at 8:22 pm

    I forgot to mention my husband is T4a N2 M0 high grade BC.

  • jimswife's avatar

    jimswife

    Member
    September 22, 2010 at 8:20 pm

    Hi, my husband on Aug 12th had a RC with lymph node dissection of 20 nodes, 3 were positive. He just started his chemo this week with today being day 2. Pat is very knowledgable about BC and she usually has great insight. We have no idea where your sister is and I agree having a great and I do mean well informed cancer team to do whatever needs to be done for your sister is important. I am thinking that 3 months does seem a bit long but then again, not sure what protocol they are using. Pat is an excellent resource for whatever you need. We are fortunate that the city we live in is very good with medical care and especially for cancer. Our city is one of two places in the United States that has the Calypso Prostate Cancer radiation therapy unit, the other one is at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC. So we are pretty progressive for a smaller community. I wish your sister well.

  • 's avatar

    Guest
    September 22, 2010 at 3:36 am

    It seems like an alful long time from her initial chemo to the surgery…….really long time. What was her initial diagnosis…invasive obviously, but how did they stage her? Did she have a CT scan, bone scan, blood work prior to all the chemo. What chemo did she have and how often did she have it? How many lymph nodes did they take out?
    You can only tolerate so much cisplatin…so i’m wondering what protocol they are planning on doing at this point?
    Where is she being treated? You may need to get a second opinion quickly at a major cancer center known for treating bladder cancer.
    pat

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