Bowel cancer stage 4 peritoneum

Hi JoyLou and a warm welcome to the board. If you type peritoneum in the search box at the top of the screen then you can see previous posts? I’m also going to tag Seashell66 who has posted recently about peritoneal treatment.

The attached booklet gives a bit of information too

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/TreatingAdvancedBowelCancer_BowelCancerUK.pdf

Please be very careful on google and avoid looking at survival rates - the 5 year survival rate stats will be based on people diagnosed 5 years ago and treatment is improving and advancing all the time. 

Hopefully your mother in law will get an oncology appointment through soon and can begin treatment so please keep us posted?

Take care

Karen x

I have the same cancer with Braf mutation.

I would recommend asking about surgery. CRS/Hipec.

Explore that option to its fullest. It is difficult because doctors have varying attitudes toward it. Some feel it diminishes quality of life, whereas others see it as a chance to extend life. Then some surgeons are conservative, and some are risk takers. There is a high rate of recurrence after the surgery. So there is some lingering controversy over the procedure I suppose.

Very difficult decision. Some times requires a 2nd opinion. But I feel the patient should be fully informed about that option. And informed why it is not offered.

Some reasons to deny surgery are too high a PCI score. This is measured by a camera counting the number/size of cancers in the peritoneum during a laproscopy. A day procedure. Some doctors prefer a PCI score under 25. Others 30 and some higher still.

Involvement of the small bowel may be a valid reason to deny surgery. 

Or mets to other organs like liver or lung.

Or comorbidities. 

After the surgery is complete they apply chemo into the cavity. That is the HIPEC part.

Good news I am still here and have not suffered from the cancer at all yet. Everyone is different. 

Wish the best for you all. 

Wish I could edit. Numb fingers from chemo.

PCI scores should read under 15, and under 20. Not 25 or 30. 

Hi Cyclone

Thank you very much for the information. It’s so helpful. Sorry you are facing this. Are you hoping to have the surgery and HIPEC? Will have a look into it. 

my mother in law is very healthy lady. No co-morbidities  

Hi JoyLou, 

sorry to hear about your mother in law. I too felt very down when my mum was diagnosed; at her age 84,  thought she would have little time left with stage 4 and spread. However, that was in April and she’s doing well on chemo. As you saw from my previous post, her treatment is working well and she has a good quality of life, she can get out and about, does a walk every day and shopping. Side effects from meds have been manageable up to now. Please don’t lose hope, treatment can be very successful 

seashell

I live in hope. Keep thinking it is going to happen. But not yet. At least the trying keeps me alive and well a bit longer.

Hello just saw your post JoyLou my husband was diagnosed in 2019…bowel cancel.  Had treatment …unfortunately spread to Peritoneum he had more chemotherapy and the more surgery…that was 3 years ago…today had latest scan results…stil clear…good luck to your MIL and to you and the family, it’s hard very hard at this point, the way we managed was just dealing with one day at a time.  Believe me we found it enough, but there can be hope. 
best wishes

Process