Question 1

what is a good diet after surgery to remove sigmoid colon cancer tumor?

Accepted Answer

Food: General rules about good dietary habits are same after surgery for colon cancer:
fruits and vegetables
high fiber grains, etc
stay away from processed meats and nitrates
limit red meat consumption
limit alcohol and avoid tobacco
keep weight under control
....All the boring stuff.

Question 2

colon cancer stage 3b but after surgery cea level dropped from 13 to 1.8 what does it mean?

Accepted Answer

Tumor markers: Cea  is a tumor marker it does not occur with all colon cancers but the fact that it dropped so abruptly is a positive sign. The marker has the ability to be used to monitor for recurrence. This does by no means indicates you are done. There are a number of treatments for colon cancer and you should recruit the serviceces of a board certified medical oncologist for an opinion on tx options.

Question 3

can colon cancer spread to a aortocaval node ? this was note few months after surgery by a pet scan .

Accepted Answer

Yes: Colon cancer can indeed spread to that lymph node, as well as to others. Also, PET scans can give false positive results. Confer with your doctor.

Question 4

how many months/ years does it take for mets to be visible with colon cancer ? my dad had all clear scans until after surgery.

Accepted Answer

6 mo to one year: Many feel that if a lesion  is localized, Dukes A that mets wont occur.  If a C2 lesion with 4 or more nodes present and preop scans are neg while there is a high incidence of recurrent or metastatic tumor it will take somewhere around one year for cells that have broken free prior to surgery to implant and grow to  present with scan visibility.  That's why in such cases adjuvanct chemo employed .

Question 5

if colon cancer was there several years n now removed - why only after surgery a liver met appears ? all prior scans were showing no distant spread ?

Accepted Answer

Not unusual.: It sometimes takes years for a metastasis in the liver or elsewhere to become large enough to be seen with the tests that we have available, such as CT scans or pet scans. If the metastasis is isolated and small, it may still be able to be treated. Be sure to discuss this in depth with your oncologist. Good luck.

Question 6

are there any genetic tests required (other than kras) for a 30 year old female with stage iii-b colon cancer after surgery and before adjuvant chemo?

Accepted Answer

Not required...: But someone so young with colon cancer should consider genetic testing for either non-polyposis or polyposis syndromes depending on the circumstances. This should be done by a specialist on genetic diseases. K-ras is done on cancer tissue whereas there others are blood tests. K-ras has to do with treatment of the cancer, the other tests can help choose  treatment but mostly affect cancer risk.

Question 7

considering the ionizing radiation exposure is it safer to have an mri instead of ct scan in the colon cancer follow up after surgery ?

Accepted Answer

YES: Good question! Many doctors do not appreciate the very real risks from the high doses of radiation used in CT scans so I advise doing CT scans only when absolutely necessary. Research shows MRI's are at least as accurate as CT scans for assessing colon cancer so I see no goos reason to choose a CT scan when a MRI gives the needed assessment without any exposure to ionizing radiation.

Question 8

do i need ct scan or only blood test for stage 2 colon cancer during my follow up every 3 month for the first year? (no chemo after surgery)

Accepted Answer

Probably Blood test : You did not have chemotherapy , you do not have lymph node spread in you stage, curative resection was done , you CEA levels will be normal , end of the yea rwill elide, pet scan is a better modality  to detect metastasis. You very good chance of being cured but require colonoscopic examinations.

Question 9

following colon cancer surgery, is it safe to undergo chemo treatments when the liver isn't 100% healthy? liver damaged slightly due to past drinking, no alcohol consumed for over 25 years now. always healthy and strong.  exercise and healthy diet always.

Accepted Answer

Most : Most likely your liver has recovered over the past 25 years.  Your chemotherapy physician will do lab work to detect any issues that may put you at higher than normal risk. The relative risk vs benefit is what we all review prior to recommendation and implementation of treatments, weather chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Make sure you oncologist is aware  so you can get a more specific answer as well as to give insight of your concerns.

Best wishes, 
hmj.

Question 10

please help! what happens during colon cancer surgery?

Accepted Answer

Surgery: Colon cancer surgery would be done under full general anesthesia. Open or laparoscopic surgery can be 2 options. The offending part of the colon and nearby lymph nodes are removed. Most often the colon is then connected back together. Less often a colostomy is needed. Discuss with the operating surgeon to get more specific details.

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Doctor answers about:

Colon cancer diet after surgery

A member asked:

What is a good diet after surgery to remove sigmoid colon cancer tumor?

A member asked:

Colon cancer stage 3b but after surgery cea level dropped from 13 to 1.8 what does it mean?

A member asked:

Can colon cancer spread to a aortocaval node ? this was note few months after surgery by a pet scan .

A member asked:

How many months/ years does it take for mets to be visible with colon cancer ? my dad had all clear scans until after surgery.

A member asked:

If colon cancer was there several years n now removed - why only after surgery a liver met appears ? all prior scans were showing no distant spread ?

A member asked:

Are there any genetic tests required (other than kras) for a 30 year old female with stage iii-b colon cancer after surgery and before adjuvant chemo?

A member asked:

Considering the ionizing radiation exposure is it safer to have an mri instead of ct scan in the colon cancer follow up after surgery ?

A member asked:

Do i need ct scan or only blood test for stage 2 colon cancer during my follow up every 3 month for the first year? (no chemo after surgery)

A member asked:

Following colon cancer surgery, is it safe to undergo chemo treatments when the liver isn't 100% healthy? liver damaged slightly due to past drinking, no alcohol consumed for over 25 years now. always healthy and strong. exercise and healthy diet always.

A member asked:

Please help! what happens during colon cancer surgery?

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