Good news

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My 84 yo mum was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer with spread to liver and peritoneum. She is on her 5th round of oral chemo which she is coping with very well. Her scan results show the tumour has shrunk from 270 to 35 which is fantastic news! However, not sure what this means as it was a phone consultation Can anyone explain the numbers- are they measuring in mm? 

thanks

seashell

  • Hi  

    Well done your mum ! She is made of strong stuff and a wonderful responder .

    Did they say what area the shrinkage was in ? Either way it sounds wonderful shrinkage . Normally with my mums scans they would say the liver has shrank from a certain size to now being … ! 
    If it was CEA numbers they do the same .

    Given she is only on oral chemo she is doing very well indeed . A great result !

    Our helpline staff would be happy to chat the results through with you .

    Take care and give your mum a big hug from me .

    Court 

    Helpline Number 0808 808 0000

  • Hi Court,

    I’m assuming the shrinkage is in the colon tumour as that was the larger. We will find out more at the next appointment in a fortnight. I’ll be asking about the liver and peritoneal too. Mum is very happy tonight as we all are; any reprieve at 84 is great!
    thanks Seashell

  • I would be interested to know the units for those numbers as well. My tumor was considered huge at 12.5 cm or 125 mm so I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around 270 mm!

    Nevertheless, 270 to 85 is a massive drop in any units. Congratulations! Enjoy your time with your mom. 

  • Thinking about it now the numbers are most likely CEA results not tumour size. 270 is high and reflects the metastatic disease and 35 is a huge drop. The primary tumour was 60mm but don’t know yet if/how much it’s shrunk

  • Still a fantastic drop . They will be pleased with that and hopefully the scans will bring great news too .

    Enjoy ,

    Court 

    Helpline Number 0808 808 0000

  • That makes sense. Congratulations on the drop though. My mother is 85 so I can relate to what a gift it is. Hopefully you will see similar shrinkage in the tumors. 

  • Im so glad to hear your mum is on chemo tablets and its shrinking, i remember putting a reply on your first post. 
    pleased all is going in the right direction