Dr. Christopher Oxner

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Probably yes: Chemotherapy for colon cancer is typically a regime abbreviated to folfox. There is an agent which has some liver toxicity but is generally safe. You... Read More

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5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

A 48-year-old member asked:

What is the survival rate for someone with stage 2 breast cancer?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Good: The 5-yr survival rate form stage 2 breast cancer is about 75-80%. This means if we look at everyone with stage 2 disease, we expect 75-80% to be ali... Read More

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A 39-year-old member asked:

Bad when a pet scan takes a long time? my grandfather's pet scan was only scheduled to take 1 hour, but instead it took 4 hours. is that a bad sign? it was the second pet scan he had after the first showed a malignant tumor.

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

No necessarily: It does not have any clinical significance. It could just be related to setting things up or preparation before the pet begins. The important inform... Read More

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5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

A member asked:

Why cant i have red jello before my colonoscopy? my doctor said any clear liquid is fine, and red jello is clear. so whats wrong with it?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Color: There may be a specific reason your doctor has but often people worry the red color can be confused for blood. And then they would worry they are mis... Read More

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A 44-year-old member asked:

I recently had a mammogram and need additional imaging. why is this?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Undetermined finding: It is difficult to say exactly why without seeing the radiologist findings but sometimes the radiologist see an abnormality that they cannot determine... Read More

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Dr. Regina Hampton agrees1 doctor agrees

A 50-year-old female asked:

My 81 yr old father 3 days post op for perforated bowel from colonoscopy, has not had bp meds since, bp is 174/64. is this acceptable?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Most likely no: It is difficult to tell not knowing the details of the case, but even if he is still recovering and not eating there are IV options for blood pressure... Read More

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A 35-year-old member asked:

What is life like after whipple procedure ?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Eventually normal: Recovery is slow and can be even slower with complications. Patients who are not diabetic and have normal pancreatic functions maintain normal functio... Read More

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Dr. Cosme Manzarbeitia and another doctor agree2 doctors agree

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A 47-year-old member asked:

Can a pet scan tell if a tumor is malignant? i know that pet scans can find tumors, but can they tell if a tumor is malignant? or does a biopsy always have to be done to tell that?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Not definitively: Pet is an imaging technique that uses sugar that gives off a small amount of radiation. The sugar is taken up typically by organs and cells that are ... Read More

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A 38-year-old member asked:

What is ductal carcinoma and who does it affect the most?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Breast Cancer: This term typically refers to breast cancer which arises from the milk ducts of the breast. Treatment depends on different patient preferences and te... Read More

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Dr. Michael Sparacino agrees1 doctor agrees

A 29-year-old male asked:

Stage iii-b colon cancer removed surgically. suspected liver lesion resected and analyzed with not malignancy. is kras analysis needed for recurrence?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Recommended: Your medical oncologist will be able to counsel you better but determining the kras status could be useful in the future. It might not be necessary, ... Read More

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A 45-year-old male asked:

I have had ulcerative colitis for 13 yrs getting routine colonoscopies every 2 years. last one showed cancer tumor. full or partial colon removal ?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Full colon removal: One of the main indications for removing the colon in uc is for cancer prevention and/ or treatment. The disease is seen through out the colon and of... Read More

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Dr. Heidi Fowler and another doctor agree2 doctors agree

A 28-year-old male asked:

What is the definition or description of: laparoscopic colon resection?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Minimally invasive: Laparscopic resection involves removing the colon using small incisions with long instruments to remove a portion of the colon without a large incisio... Read More

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A 41-year-old female asked:

Tretment of acase of breast cancer .with pulmonary hypertention. t2n0m0, pr -ve er- ve , her2/neu+3?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Treatment depends: This is a stage 1 breast cancer which can be treated with long term survival but treatment may include targeted chemotherapy that does have some risk... Read More

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Dr. Heidi Fowler and 3 doctors agree4 doctors agree

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A 24-year-old male asked:

I have a lump on the back of my neck below the hairline..it doesn't hurt i just came across it .is it a lymph node or could it be a tumor? i do smoke..

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Yes: The differential diagnosis for a lump is fairly broad. It could be a lymph node, benign fatty tumor, cyst, etc. It is best to follow-up with your p... Read More

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5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Ed Friedlander and another doctor agree2 doctors agree

A 62-year-old female asked:

Numerous surgeries in abdomen area 4 surgeries ago they had to scale my mothers bowels due to scar tissue.now having wieght loss extreame pain?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Follow up with doc: Her abdominal pain could be to a several things. She could be having intermittent obstruction or if they removed bowel each time could have short gut... Read More

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A 28-year-old male asked:

What is the definition or description of: colonoscopy?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Flexible video: Colonoscopy is the procedure of using a long flexible camera to visualize the entire colon from the inside with the option to take pictures, video, pe... Read More

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A 57-year-old female asked:

Recent breast cancer survivor, 2mths ago red marks on abdomen, growing very quickly, odd shaped lumps. lipomas as fam dr says or possible cancer?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Unsure: Unfortunately, it requires a physical exam to accurately diagnose the lesions or decide if additional testing necessary. If you are not comfortable wi... Read More

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A 24-year-old male asked:

I got a red rash in 3 patches on my chest and stomach after a colonoscopy. what could have caused it? should i be worried?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Unlikely: If it was related to the colonoscopy, it is because of a drug reaction but allergies to the typical sedation medications used is uncommon. I would re... Read More

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Dr. Heidi Fowler and another doctor agree2 doctors agree

A 37-year-old female asked:

Would symptomatic colon cancer be missed on 3 separate ct scans? i am only 37 but have had narrow stools and small amounts of blood for past year.

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Possibly: If colorectal cancer was causing symptoms, it should be decently large, but no test is 100% and there are false negatives. Another screening test cou... Read More

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Dr. Michael Murray agrees1 doctor agrees

A 29-year-old male asked:

Biopsy: "sigmoid colon, well differentiated adenocarcinoma, grade i" does this indicate that the tumor won't probably metastasize? triphasic ct shows a lesion in the liver (1cm) as well.

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Depends on Pathology: When you say grade one, i assume you mean stage 1, which is good. Stage 1 has a very high chance of being cured with surgery alone but the chance of s... Read More

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5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

A female asked:

I was diagnosed with breast cancer that has spread to 2 lymph nodes my app't with a surgeon is aug12 is that too long a wait.can it spread?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Not really: While theoretically you could say yes, the data we have on getting treatment in that short of an interval has no effect on survival or tumor spread. ... Read More

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A 24-year-old male asked:

What is the best cream or ointment or mix of the two for a chronic anal fissure with sentinel pile that bleeds and throbs? using hc 2.5% & ibuprofen.

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Neither: The best treatment for a chronic anal fissure is fiber, a good pain regime, and possible chemical or surgical sphincterotomy to eliminate spincter spa... Read More

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A 41-year-old member asked:

Are you put under during a colonoscopy?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Usually: Most physicians in the us sedate their patients before colonoscopy. This means you are awake and extremely relaxed, but many patients due tend to fal... Read More

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Dr. Heidi Fowler agrees1 doctor agrees

A 53-year-old male asked:

Can a gastro damage colon during colonoscopy? husband had severe pain for 6 months after. gastro said it was his crohns. husband says different pain.

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Yes and No: There is a risk of perforation during colonoscopy but this is usually an acute complication requiring emergent surgery or treatment. Having pain this... Read More

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A 28-year-old male asked:

What is the definition or description of: gi surgery?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Very broad: This typically refers to surgeyr on organs in the abdomen or involving the gastrointestinal tract. This is a very broad term.

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A 32-year-old member asked:

Can a ct scan also scan for brain tumors? i had a ct scan done a while ago to check my sinuses, but now i fear i may have a brain tumor. i was wondering if a doctor could look at the same ct scan to check for brain tumors.

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Depends: It really depends on the technique used and to what extent the scan went. If it did not encompass the entire head, it will be inadequate. You should... Read More

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A female asked:

Can surgery completely cure liver cancer? its stage 1 liver cancer, and the doctor says he should be able to get the whole tumor, no problem. does that mean ill be cured?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Yes/ No: It is possible for very early cancers to be cured by surgery but there are many factors which are important. If this is hepatocellular carcinoma, th... Read More

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Dr. Michael Sparacino agrees1 doctor agrees

A 41-year-old member asked:

Can ultrasound tell the difference between tumors and other things? could an ultrasound mistake a tumor for a cyst, fibroid or other mass?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Yes and Yes: Ultrasound is just one of many imaging modalities. It can be very accurate at distunguishing abnormalities but it often depends on what you are imagi... Read More

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Dr. Kenny Chuu agrees1 doctor agrees

A 59-year-old female asked:

What does it mean that my colonscopy was stopped due to stricture at sigmoid?

Surgical Oncology 20 years experience

Narrow spot: This means they were unable to progress safely due a narrow area in the sigmoid colon. This could indicate a sharp turn due to prior abdominal surger... Read More

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Dr. Michael Sparacino and another doctor agree2 doctors agree