Hi all.
10 months into Cancer Treatment. WOW what a whirlwind.
Thank you for also the advice and experiences that you have all shared. It has been a great help on these awful days.
i was wondering if anyone could offer any of their wisdom On my current situation i was diagnosed in June 25 with advanced anal cancer with extensive involvement of the perenium, vulva and groin lymph nodes (3 of them).
In have completed 3 months of chemotherapy oxiplatin, florinox, 5FU. Followed by 5.5 weeks of chemoradiation. I was deemed as having a good response to treatment and was prepped for having Total Pelvic Exeneration surgery. Everything was going well until the final PET scan which showed metastatic spread to the diaphragm, abdomen and neck with a few crumbs in between ( as described by the oncologist). Surgeon wrote me off said surgery couldn’t happen and to expect 18-24 months. As you can imagine and some have experienced the shock and devastation I felt.
i then was referred back to my oncologist whom had a different outlook and told me the full volume of cancer in my body is now 6mm as the previous areas that had been treated was now ‘cold’ on my scans and the only hot spots were the new areas. Although I was not curable I was very much treatable.
the plan is palliative chemotherapy - oxiplatin and capacetabine with a scan in 3 months and potentially chemoradiation again. Then another 3 month scan to determine next steps but said I was in for the long haul and chemo would be part of my life going forward with a few breaks inbetween.
I was reading a post on here ( I forgot to bookmark and can’t find it again) where someone in a similar situation had got a 2nd opinion from a London hospital and was told it could be possible for the operation:
my question to you is there anyone who has gone down this route - paid private and had a successful outcome or is it that I should just go with my oncologist. ( who is fantastic I have to say, so this isn’t me second guessing his treatment plan or questioning his ability but more to look at potential other avenues)
