never in my life would imagine to be posting here but reading through the posts so far have been so helpful and I have decided to join. In. My mom sadly, has been recently diagnosed with rectal cancer
I completely understand that any guidance would necessarily be general, but I hope it is alright if I provide a little context about where we are so far. All of these has happened in span of 2 weeks:
-Colonoscopy — a mass was identified in the rectum, 12 cm from the anal verge, and biopsies were taken. They said the rest of her colon was clear and normal.
-CT abdomen done 4 days after colonoscopy.
-attended appt. And Review with the colorectal team 10 days since colonoscopy — biopsies confirmed rectal cancer. We were told that the CT suggests the tumour may be advanced within the bowel wall, possibly with some nearby lymph node involvement. We were also told there may be ?nodules/spots in the lungs. I specifically asked whether these were present on both lungs and an indication of spread, but was told that this was not specified in the report. The CT also showed something in the liver but that was not clear, so an MRI liver has been requested. There has been no mention so far of any further lung investigations- not sure why?
MRI pelvis booked (14 days since colonoscopy)
MRI liver booked ( 18 days since colonoscopy)
For context, for a 67-year old lady, she walks regularly, and does not smoke or drink alcohol ever. Her symptoms prior to investigation were constipation and rectal bleeding at the end of March, which is when the GP initiated the referral process. Since this all began, so far, she has not shown any signs of bowel obstruction (than God!), and we are trying our best to continue living as normally as possible.
At this stage, I was wondering:
-Is formal staging usually confirmed once all imaging is complete and the case has been discussed at the multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting, or will we hear from oncologist first?
From people’s experience, what is the usual timeframe from MRI results being available to MDT discussion, oncology review, and then commencement of treatment?
Why was there no mentioned about investigating the lungs?
-Is the oncology appointment typically when treatment options and recommendations are discussed in detail to us?
-Given that chemotherapy has already been mentioned during the appt. with colorectal surgeons, does this usually suggest that surgery may not be the first option, at least initially?
She is understandably very anxious. Her biggest worries are the waiting, and the fear of being told that her case may no longer be suitable for treatment. I have tried my best to reassure her, but any general insight into the usual pathway would be hugely appreciated.
