One year post oesophagectomy cancer in lymph nodes

Hi Nicola, sorry to hear about your situation. I've been a bit more fortunate in that I had my surgery in October 2016 and have recently been told that I have 3 lymph node tumours in my chest and 1 on my lower left side. I didn't have any other treatment and have now been offered xelox chemotherapy with a view to slowing down any growth to give me some more time. They said maybe 12-18 months without treatment and maybe 18-24 with treatment, no guarantees. I'm weighing up the risk versus the reward, quality of life rather than just quantity. I've got an appointment with the oncologist next week and I am going to ask for alternatives and trials as  the xelox has some nasty and possibly lasting side effects. Try to be positive, although it is hard and hopefully your treatment will be successful. Good luck and kind regards Frank.

Hi there!

I am really sorry to hear that you have not been well.

Your successful op etc has been an inspiration for me and probably many others.

Are these tumours OC?

I have been worried about catching OC as well getting secondary cancer.

Regards

Rf2k18 

Hi, my consultant said that the cancer was in my lymphatic system at the time of the surgery. He was quite surprised that the cancer had progressed so slowly over the last 4 years. The oncologist said that the tumours are secondary cancer the same as the oesophageal cancer. I will continue to live and fight I have no intention of popping my clogs anytime soon. I didn't worry about it coming back I decided to enjoy every day as it came. So to anyone reading this stay positive and enjoy every day. None of us are born with an expiry date tattooed on our bums. Take care and kind regards Frank.

Hi Frank, thanks for your reply. You have a very positive attitude and I hope you get some alternatives to the xelox when you speak to your oncologist next week. Did you have adenocarcinoma or squamous cell? I have squamous which seems to have grown back quite fast according to my specialist nurse. Cancer cells are very crafty. I had a clear scan two and a half months earlier than the one I have just got the bad news from. I am going to go with the immunotherapy but also intend to ask about radiotherapy as I have been told that it works quite well against squamous. Don’t know if you can have both though. Take care and good luck! 
Nicola

Hi Nicola, I had adenocarcinoma at the stomach junction. You are quite right to ask about radiotherapy as well as immunotherapy. I was talking to someone today who is attending the same cancer centre in Edinburgh. He had cancer in his pancreas and abdomen and has had about 16 sessions of chemotherapy. His oncologist is going to try him on cannabis oil, he's starting that next week. He's not sure if it has THC in it or if it's just CBD oil. I'm interested to find out as when you are facing your own demise and you are told that the chemotherapy won't cure you, I think the " magic beans" are worth a try. Anyway you try to stay as positive as you can, I know it can be very hard but I do believe that it helps us to fight for as long as we can. Good luck to you and kind regards Frank.