Stage 4 Ascending Colon Cancer

Hi Clothears 

Welcome to the forum . You and your husband need time to find your feet after a difficult diagnosis. My mum is a stage 4 patient but with a different spread and cell type . 
However there is an overlap as she was originally inoperable. However sometimes a good response to treatment can turn things around and some people are doing well on treatment for six and seven years despite the original outlook . 
However waiting to see how it goes is tough and we are here for you .

https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/about-bowel-cancer/advanced-bowel-cancer/treating-advanced-bowel-cancer/targeted-therapy/#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20the%20wild%20type%20BRAF%20gene%2C%20you%20may,with%20encorafenib%20and%2For%20binimetinib.

Just adding this link from Bowel cancer U.K. . It can be helpful

to know all the different drugs that may be an option as time goes on .

My own mum has just completed ten months on a targeted drug called Cetuximab and it’s done a great job at reigning in some lymph nodes snd lung spread . She has been at this on and off for 14 years and is now 81 and I think this will be the last of the treatments but it’s knocked it down to a manageable size and that’s always been how she has navigated it . One small step at a time reducing the tumour burden .

Take care ,

Court 

My mum was right ascending too ! Apparently the right /left sides of the colon are made at different times in the embryo. I read an article that suggested that is why the two different locations can have different aspects when it comes to cancer biology /treatment. Must see if I can locate it again .

They only discovered this around ten years  ago !

But will need to check the details as it’s been a long time since I read it .

Court 

Thank you so much for the information. I will do some research. One thing I have learned so far is that there is always hope. My perspective in life has changed so much. My heart goes out to your mum. What a warrior! Such stories are blessings for us newbies. 

Hello Clothears  I am so sorry to hear of your husbands diagnosis. I hope you are managing as well as can be in the circumstances. My husband was diagnosed in February with st4 colon cancer with mets to liver and peritoneum. He is also BRAF. I am not sure if it's of any help but there is a BRAF page on FB (I am a member even though it's not me who has it) with lots of people living with BRAF cancer.

I'm sending you a big hug, it's a surreal and lonely place to be, but you will find lot's of support here and on the Bowel Cancer website too if you are a member.

Love 

Amy xx

Hello and welcome,

I hope you and your husband are managing well under the circumstances. 
I’m also new here, I had an emergency right hemicolectomy on 13th November, the tumour was success removed. I have since received my diagnosis of poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the caecum with signet cells. The tumour also had changes to the DNA sequence so I’m being referred for DNA testing to look for Lynch syndrome. I’m 
currently awaiting chemotherapy to mop up any stray cells. 

Sending big hugs to both you and your husband 

Rachael x

Hello there, I am ever so sorry to hear your husband's diagnosis- so difficult but you sound wonderful- your post was suggested to me when I asked about BRAF- I was just told I have the BRAF mutation yesterday- I was already having chemo for primary cancer in the transverse colon with spread to my ovary and liver- they're doing a CT to see how the chemo is working- I am trying to find out more about BRAF but to avoid too much googling outside NHS/ Macmillan/ Bowel cancer UK sites- I will read the replies here and wanted to say hello and wish you very well- there does not seem to be so much about BRAF for bowel cancer on the forums but I understand it's about 10% of people. Again wishing you all the very best 

Hi Court, your Mum had a krukenberg tumour as well didn't she? it seems like our diagnosis are quite similar- I just find out I'm BRAF yesterday

Hi KimLondon 

I'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I do hope the chemo is helping . 

Sending a big hug 

Amy xx

thank you so much, that's really kind and helpful! xx

Hi KimLondon 

She didn’t actually but that was about the only one she hasn’t had .

She was right side ascending which I understand from reading that part of the colon is actually made at a different time in the embryo to the left  . Hence the slightly different behaviour apparently. 
We did not get a lot of information way back at the beginning . In fact I think the scientists only wrote about the difference in right -left around 2014 !

The chemo definitely shrank things back and gave her good margins for surgery . The combination of the two worked a treat and she has had years in between of no treatment . 
Take care ,

• Court