Survival rates

Hi ,

A big welcome to the forum . You have endured quite a lot of resections . Well done for getting through that and working . You are made of strong stuff .

My mum has just slipped past her tenth year as a stage 4 patient . Still getting scanned . She nearly made it out the door once but a small Met was detected on her final scan . Her oncologist puts her back to six monthly scans . Her CEA is no longer reliable as it showed a false positive for six months last winter . Her oncologist feels she does well with surgery so likes to get in quickly should anything show up .

She too has never had any chemo after surgery . She has had two liver resections and one small lung resection . There are others doing well also hitting the ten to fifteen year mark . They all had a couple of intense years of treatment then it settled . Good scanning has been a life saver .

So very pleased to hear you are doing so well . You sound as though you are on a good pathway . With all the newer treatments coming through compared to ten years ago I really think the stats will start shifting in a better direction . The survival stats have improved since my mum was diagnosed but there is room for more . You are now pushing the boundaries forward for the stats .

Keep strong ,

Court 

Thanks for your response, it is encouraging to know that the survival rates are improving.

I have been in Bupa for 18 years and never had to claim until I was diagnosed with cancer.  Bupa have been fabulous and I am certain that I would not be monitored as closely by the NHS.  The monthly subscription is now in excess of £500 and will soon become unsustainable so I am trying to make a judgement what I can expect regarding cancer treatment on the NHS.

We are in Scotland and I have to say her oncologist is faultless. She makes excellent clinical judgements and errs on the side of caution . She starts her on three monthly scans and after a few good ones moves her up to six . Once she got to a year . Every scan  is reviewed by her MDT team . They have taken such good care of her .

One thing I think you would notice is the speed of scan reporting . That’s quite slow and possible the speed of putting things into place . More demands on the service . I have also noted agents like Avastin are not available on the NHS .

That is quite a monthly outlay . My friend is facing the same issue . She has a lung tumour that has spread and because she is private got access to immunotherapy and chemo together. This has had a brilliant response but she can only get cover for a year then she has to transfer to the NHS . She is also scanned frequently and gets the results within the same day ! That would change and it’s a real concern for her . We are fortunate to have a great centre and have been able to reassure her but I think she is really struggling with the thought of changing . Can you keep the same consultant in the NHS ? I think hers also works for the NHS so would possibly be able to keep him .

I really think it would be an adjustment but less so on the actual care my maybe the speed of access . My mum got used to the six monthly scans quite quickly . It was nice to put it behind her for a bit longer .

The other back up we put in place was with her GP . He carried out regular CEA checks on her every two months .

Still great to hear your doing well ,

Court 

Hi @Hopeful001  Best not to think of statistics...just enjoy your life while you can! I was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2013 so coming up to 6 years now. You can read more in my profile. I have had 7 operations 12 rounds of chemo, been diagnosed with another cancer (malignant melanoma) in 2016 and just about to start radiotherapy for lung mets.  I'm a great role model to my 3 grown up children ...."Don't want to end up like Mum!" so they are obsessive about keeping healthy! Since original diagnosis I have been blessed with 4 grandchildren so spend as much time as I can with them and rheir families.  Good luck with your 'journey' and keep us all posted. x

Hi Diane ,

Sorry to hear you have more treatment to face but all the very best and hope you have a speedy recovery.

Court 

Thanks court