New diagnosis is it aggressive

A relative has just been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, her symptoms include back pain and i'm guessing that it is aggressive am I right, if so can it be treated. Also is there anybody who has come through an aggressive one and are you still ok.

[murial]

My operation was the Ivor Lewis one it went wrong in the end I had a second op they had to close of my stomach I had a bag out on my neck attached to my oesophagus . I was left with a peg feed going into my small bowel for 6 months plus the bag . Then I had the op to reverse it now I have a loop in my oesophagus . That was 6 years ago my life has changed since then I take each day has it comes but it gave me the extra time to see my grandson growing up and hopefully a few more years. Yet .

[Markxj]

Hi yes I have had a very agressive oesphagus cancer. Five years ago and after had many complications but now I am very well. Have to be careful what I eat and there are one or two small problems with eating little and often but apart from that fine. I will never get to the weight I was before but that is not a bad thing. Wish your relative well, it is a long journey but things have progressed even in the last five years.

[strangetimes in reply to Markxj]

I think you will have to wait to find out the staging of the cancer . CAT and PET scans and endoscopic ultrasound will give a better idea though they won't really know until they've operated and removed the tumour .

I think the grade of cancer they can tell from biopsies . I was told mine was very aggressive ,stage 4 but I think this type of cancer ( mine was adeno at the junction of the oesphageous and stomach ) is known for being aggressive .

Are you thinking that because of the back pain that the cancer has spread and invaded other organs ? I think when this happens that it is much harder to treat and the aim is to control the spread and keep it at bay .But a CAT or PET scan will determine any spread .

I'm nearly a year post op and chemo and doing very well - worrying about putting on too much weight !

[Hidden in reply to strangetimes]

Thanks for your post too, I think because this has all happened really quick a matter of weeks it has panicked everybody. What started out as back pain ( thinking that the gardening caused her to put her back out) and now its turned into cancer we are still all in shock. I just hope they can treat and give her a chance. Your post has also a positive vibe about it too and i'm glad that the treatment has so far worked for you.

[Hidden in reply to Markxj]

Thanks I'm glad you got through and your ok now, your post is very positive and gives me a lot of hope. As you say things have changed in the medical world in what can do.

[Hidden]

The oesophagus runs from the throat down to the stomach so it goes right through the chest, and it is not surprising that problems can create pain in the back and elsewhere. Sometimes pain gets 'transferred' so that it is felt somewhere else from where the problem is. It is to do with the nerve system.

The patient needs to have the scans and biopsies done, and will then have a TNM analysis. The T stands for how far the tumour has advanced through the wall of the oesophageal lining; N stands for lymph nodes and how many of these are affected. The M stands for metastatic spread - of this cancer to other parts of the body. If it is in reasonably early stages without metatastic spread then there is a good chance of chemotherapy and surgery having a good effect and many people have a good quality of life afterwards.

It is not a good thing to go through the surgery - which is major - if signs of metastatic spread are already detectable in other parts of the body, as that metatastic spread may well eventually prevail.

There are two types - adenocarcinoma which is more common, usually towards the lower end near the stomach; and squamous cell carcinoma, usually, but not always, nearer the throat, that can sometimes be treated in the early stages with chemo-radiotherapy without the need for surgery.

You are in a position where you have had the diagnosis but you do not know enough yet to be able to work out what kind of treatment would be given. It is a situation full of uncertainties, and these doubts and uncertainties will, to some extent, never go away. It is a great challenge to come to terms with what is happening, and this mental track runs alongside the medical side of things throughout the treatment .

It is not a cancer that you can ignore: it will progress and eventually prove terminal if nothing is done about it, so on that basis it counts as aggressive, but the speed of that process varies for individuals.

We do wish you the very best as you go through this.

[Hidden]

Hi thanks everyone for your response, I hope to be on here with good news as soon as we know what we are dealing with. I am feeling a lot better now that I have had good feedback even though it is scary. Also everyone else I wish them luck on there own journey.

[sallym]

A 4% survival rate, the surgeon hoped to give me 3 more years. Here I still am 20yrs later.

Research and treatment has changed dramatically since then, but most peoples perception of this cancer

is the same. I've crossed a lot of bridges on this journey only to find that some of them didn't exist.

Possibly the worst time is waiting for the outcome and results of all the tests. Never did I ever think that I would still be here to write this all these years later. So good luck with this journey, try to think positive, and remember the wall of support that builds up behind you at a time like this. sally

[Shamber37 in reply to sallym]

Super news sally!! It really is great to hear such lovely news. My mom is just starting her nightmare rollercoaster x