Signet Ring Diagnosis

Hi Boatmans Lady

I'm very sorry to read that your dad has recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer and can understand what a shock this must be for you.

I don't have any experience with this type of cancer but noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. While you're waiting if you type 'signet ring' into the group's search bar you'll find a dozen or so posts which mention this type of stomach cancer. You could have a read through those to see how other's managed.

You might also like to join the family and friends group which is a safe and supportive place to discuss your worries and emotions with others who have a loved one with cancer.

If you'd like to do that then clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there weher you can join and post in the same way as you did here.

x

Hi Sans,

I had the same cancer in the same location. If you like I can talk to you about what I did. Send me a message so we can chat.

Debra

Hi Sans

I am sorry to hear of your Dad's diagnosis and the recent passing of your Mum.  xx

My husband has just been diagnosed with Advanced Signet Ring Stomach Cancer (he had most of his stomach removed from it in 2010) but now it has returned & is everywhere in his abdomen.  He too is looking at Palliative care (he is 84) so I understand fully what you are going thru.  Like your Dad, he is also not in pain (possibly due to his moderate dementia.)

My Onc is running various tests on the pathology slides, to see if he is HER2 positive (as Herceptin can be used as treatment & I understand it is less horrible than chemo.). If my hubby does do chemo again, it will be a 40% solution, to try & control the spread but still give him some quality of life.  There is no point taking full on chemo that will make him ill and have no quality of life.  :( 

Take care, all the best for both of you xx

Well done, Debra - Absolutely - keep active, keep busy xx

My hubby was a top age group triathlete prior to his original diagnosis & went back to competing just 6 months after finishing chemo!  He competed at age 80 in the Triathlon World Champs in Mexico & won 2 golds & a Silver medal ..... he's only hung up his boots in the last 2 years.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for sharing your experience above. I found it incredibly valuable.

My dad was diagnosed with signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) stomach cancer in January 2021. He had the surgery to remove two third of his stomach in March 2021 and is now recovering from it.

My brother and I are discussing the next steps. We have consulted a few doctors, most agreed he'd only have 6-12 months left as he is now in late Stage 3. 

Does anyone know whether chemotherapy or radiotherapy would help lengthen his time? We know the process itself is not pleasant so really need to weigh up different things here. Any advice about anything around this rare cancer would be much appreciated. 

Many thanks in advance. 

Hi  and a very warm welcome to the online community

I'm glad you found the information in this thread valuable. You'd probably be best to join the group and start your own post as none of the people in the thread have posted again so they may no longer be members of the online community. If you start your own post then other members of the group will see your questions.

It would be great if you could pop something about your dad's journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

If you have any difficulty navigating the community just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help.

x

Hi ntt05r ... don't give up on him yet! How old is your Dad?  My husband was 75 when he had his surgery & chemo and went on to have 11 full & productive years, including competing in international Triathlons.

They didn't give me a time frame for my husband when diagnosed in Jan '21, but the surgeon who diagnosed him said he was an 8 out of 10 category (and I really thought, that may just mean 'months'.)  :(  

However after 3 months of Low Dose chemo (Capox) his cancer markers are actually dropping!  They've reduced the dosage of the Capecitabine tablets from 3 to 2 & he isn't feeling as 'zonked' as he was on the larger dose - and is much more like his usual self ......

As his is terminal (Stage 4), we are working on 'quality of life' - so he can enjoy the time we have left together, but hopefully contain the cancer & stop it spreading further.

However - It is a fine line between keeping him alive for OUR benefit vs him not suffering unnecessarily.  Keep that in mind.

I reckon you (and I) will KNOW when it is time to 'let go'.

We were down the beach last weekend with his twin brother & out enjoying lunch & the sunshine today, with a bit of a walk down by the beach ...... just aim more at making memories, whilst you can.

All the best Take care xx

Thank you Arpie for your valuable information. Would you mind if I ask which stage he was in with SRCC 11 years ago? Did it spread elsewhere outside of the stomach then? Do you know if taking tablets only is ever a solution? or it has to come with a chemo?

Hi ya, I can't work out the staging - it was either 2 or 3 as he already had metastatic cancer in one of the lymph nodes that was removed (but the seriousness of this was never explained to me!) .... it was also a high grade (grade 3) tumour, and very aggressive.  It is a nasty disease.

Yes, 11 years later it has spread throughout his abdomen & elsewhere.  His chemo is a combination of tablets called 'Capox' - Capecitabine tablets twice daily for 2 weeks and Chemo infusion Oxaliplatin (40% solution due to his age) every 3 weeks.

Every case is different - Make sure his Onc checks his Her2 receptors - if positive, he may be able to go onto Herceptin.  Also get PDL1 levels checked .... if high, there are 2 or more immunotherapy options that may help him, including Keytruda, which has had some Stage 4 people go CANCER FREE!!!  NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE!   Sadly, hubby's results were negative for both.    He is still going really well tho - he doesn't need any help with anything yet, tho his appetite has dropped a bit - just a bit wobbly on his feet, not unusual for age 84.  

Did they check his genome sequence?  We had hubby's done in the USA but the only drugs that would help him aren't available or approved for use in Australia.  However, luckily, his current chemo sequence appears to be working for him, so that is good.

All the best