My husband just been told he have bowel cancer at 44

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Long story… 1 year ago my husband gone to GP for hemorroids. He was referred to a private hospital, but in NHS system. First they performed a colonoscopy. All was ok. The hemorroids were resolved. But my husband remained with abdominal pain for 1 year almost. He had reported to the doctor from private hospital the pain. They have done MRI, CT scans, etc. At the private hospital all was fine. In May this year my husband was in AE with big pain.. he was sent straight to GP and after home. In July he went again in AE in pain and with blood in stool. 3 days the doctors said to him is constipated.. hard to belive a constipation can last 1 year. After 3 days i went to PALS and managed to move him on Gastro ward. There they performed an endoscopy and all was ok. They gave him some laxatives and the pain gone away. He was discharged. In that time the doctor from Gastro Unit asked the private hospital to send him all result at what my husbad done . In the end of July we receved a letter to call for an emergency colonoscopy. He did this. The doctor told my husband that he receved all results from the private hospital and something is not ok. After colonoscopy in NHS hospital it turned that he have colorectal cancer. I will copy and paste the last letter with any personal information and hospital names changed:

Colonoscopy 31/8/24 showed mid transverse colon cancer. Histology: Transverse colon biopsy - moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, also a hyperplastic polyp in sigmoid colon. CT 14/9/24: proximal transverse colon tumour, out by 4mm, T3b, 3 nodes that look involved, 1 indeterminate node - 7mm, N1b/ N2a, no mets, lesions in liver look like benign haemangiomas - can be seen on previous CT + MRI and are unchanged. Note that in hindsight the cancer can be seen on MRI from PRIVATE HOSPITAL. Flexi at PRIVATE HOSPITAL only went up to the splenic flexure
Plan: Mr. (Name of the doctor)OPA to discuss stent + chemotherapy vs straight to surgery.

Now, my question are…

1. I cant understand what stage is the cancer.If i look on google is Stage 3? Or i am wrong?

2. What we can expect the next? Monday we will have the meeting with the doctor.. what to choose the best? Stent+ chemo or straight to surgery?

3. The private hospital have seen the cancer and noone said nothing. I dont want to let the things like this. 1 year ago the cancer was not so advanced for sure. Is not possible for a private hospital to play with people life. I want to take legal action against the doctor. If someone can advise me how to do this.

This was our story.. sorry for my english, but is not my first language!

Thank you in advance for your answers!

CerysM 2 months ago

Hi Gabytza ,

Sorry to hear your news. That's not great from the private hospital. I don't have any tips there I'm sorry but I think that if they knew and didn't do anything or inform you then you're likely to have a legal case.

The staging is generally done once they've got the cancer out (at least it was for me, others might be different). Until then they couldn't tell as they didn't know if it had spread to any lymph nodes etc. My advice is to avoid google completely as the information on there is often out of date and inaccurate.

I don't know about the stent as it wasn't offered for me. I went straight to surgery, had it removed and I'm now on six months mop up chemo.

I think that you can expect to have a discussion about the two options available to you when you see the doctor. I'd suggest you write down any question you can think of and that you both go together. I found that I couldn't process what the doctor was saying all the time so it helped having my husband there to clarify what was said when I got home.

Good luck in your journey (no need to apologise for the English, it's very good).

Best wishes

CerysM

Kareno62 2 months ago

Hi Gabytza and a warm welcome to the board. I’ll try and answer some of your questions for you

1. As Cerys says the official staging is by the pathology lab after surgery but it initially looks like stage 3 (or T3j with 3 possibly 4 lymph nodes affected (that’s the N1/2 rating)

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/bowel-cancer/staging-and-grading-of-bowel-cancer

2. I’ve no experience of stenting but I believe it is used if there is a risk of the tumour blocking the bowel so you will have to be guided by your consultant there.

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/Bowel_Cancer_UK_Colonic_Stenting_V2.1.pdf

Chemo is very effective at blasting lymph nodes and a recent trial (Foxtrot) has shown that chemo before surgery is more effective at preventing a recurrence than post op chemo. It is also easier to tolerate than after you’re recovering from the op. However if the consultant is concerned about the colon blocking then he may want to get the surgery removed as soon as possible.

Hope the meeting with the consultant goes well and please keep us posted?

Take care

Karen x

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