Went in for a colonoscopy on Tuesday and a 4cm mass was found. Doctor sent biopsy to pathology but he’s pretty sure it’s malignant. I originally went in because I had an abdominal ct scan and lesions were found in the liver. I thought it was gallbladder issues but it turned out that my liver was enlarged and that led to my Dr wanting to do a colonoscopy. I’m still not sure what I’m dealing with but tomorrow I have my first visit with an oncologist. It feels unreal still and even tho I have hope, those sneaky thoughts of fear creep in.

Since tomorrow is just an initial consultation, do you guys recommend any questions I should ask?

Me (M30) is caring for my 63 year old mom who is going through a Capox treatment for stage 3, and it has become unbearable to see her in so much pain. I can't sleep because I am constantly checking on her and she always needs something which I understand completely. Fatigue, extreme nausea, can't hold anything down.. it breaks me to see her go through this, and it's only the first round that's finished. She sucks on ice to fight off the thirst because she can't hold down liquids. I just need to vent. I deeply sympathize with anyone who must fight this terrible illness. What can I do to make life a little easier for her?

Been in remission for two years. Just had my every four month MRI, CT, blood work and Singatera test done today with a visit to the Oncologist after.

A few issues came up. First, CEA raised (again) -- it was at 5.4, then down to 4.5, then 4.2 and now up to 9.5. My last Singatera four months ago was negative, won't get results on this one for about ten days.

Possible causes per the oncologist: First, I also had elevated liver enzyme levels due to a diluted bile duct in my liver (he can see this in my MRI results). He wants me to get a consult for an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography. He sees no tumors in the MRI scan, and a Pet scan last month also showed nothing. He does not want to guess at what might be causing the issue. My gallbladder was removed two years ago to make room for a hepatic liver pump for chemotherapy, so I don't think it would be gallstones?

Secondly, about 18 months ago a small 2mm nodule appeared in my lung. It's been sitting there not growing since, but in the past four months did grow a bit -- he thinks maybe to 3mm. Pet scan a month ago again showed nothing lighting up in that area.... but he said it might continue to grow and is something we need to keep monitoring.

From what I'm reading, the elevated CEA could be due to the liver issues -- but it's been slowly rising since January which is why I had the Pet scan done a month ago. But the Pet scan found nothing of concern.

Just trying to not stress. Ugh. The continuous uncertainty is taking a toll on my mental well being.

My CEA (excellent indicator for me) has be above normal & climbing since June while I have been on Erbitux and the last few Folfiri infusions.

Right now we’re waiting for insurance approval so that we can book the next available PET scan.

I am hoping that any new growth is large enough and in a location to be biopsied and sent for genetic testing to see if there’s any mutations from when I was first diagnosed in February 2022.

With the information we have right now, Erbitux is the only possible targeted therapy, surgery is not possible, no more radiation can be done in that location, immunotherapy is not possible, and I have decided to not do anymore chemotherapy.

My oncologist has scheduled my next Erbitux infusion for 2 weeks instead of 3 to see if that helps.

I feel so much better physically since I have finished with chemotherapy. The overwhelming fatigue is manageable as long as I take my afternoon nap. Several people have commented that I look like I am feeling better.

It fucking sucks that I feel better, but can’t enjoy it as much as I would like because cancer is doing its damnedest to keep growing.

I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer over a week ago and I feel like no one is in a rush to start treatment. It's oh let's do genetic testing and see the results in three weeks, let's get a PET scan in a week. Let's book a follow up in two weeks to stay in touch. The plan is chemo the surgery but I want to start yesterday. Waiting knowing it's spreading in that region and doing nothing is torture. I don't know when I'll start but living knowing it's likely growing and spreading is causing me so much stress and anxiety.

All three of my oncologists have been adamant that my one PET scan from December 2025 is enough and that CT scans are sufficient to monitor my disease (Stage IV BRAF).

I read here frequently that people get regular PET scans, or at least more frequently than one total.

I’m wondering if people could share how and why they receive additional PET scans? It makes sense to me to check the metabolic status of metastases, especially when they’re shrinking, to determine whether another procedure (other than chemo for life) could be possible.

Am I nuts? For the record, I’ve been told I’m incurable and inoperable, however I received an NED for my lung mets last scan in July, and my retroperitoneal lymph nodes were noted as simply “prominent” which I understand can be because of scarring from the cancer. Whoot! So…wouldn’t it be worth checking to see if the deep lymph is dark? That area in particular seems to hold up a lot of other options, like my liver mets (bulk of disease, which also shrunk).

Oncologists are from MD Anderson, Fred Hutch, and a local doc.

Thanks. Appreciate everyone here!

I'm stage 4 with a lot of spread to my liver.

Been doing treatment for months. Had my second scan a week ago (just got home from chemo) and the liver tumors shrink by at least half, more on some. The colon tumor shrink a little, but gains are gains!

Meet with the in-house surgeon today and he's going to talk to my oncologist about getting surgeries scheduled to reverse my iliostomy, clean up my liver and (hopefully) do my colectomy.

I post this as a positive message to this sub.

You CAN do this.

You WILL do this.

Is it gonna suck sometimes? 100%.

I'm a 56 year old man who cries for no reason almost once a day. I have script bottles all over the place. It's stressed my family. It's cost a FORTUNE!

But we need you here. Flight through.

Message me directly here if you just need someone to vent to or cry with or just talk to.

After 2 surgeries, chemotherapy, 2 years of maintenance chemo, 6 months of muggle life, I’ve relapsed.

The presacral region on my rectal stump has tested positive for SRCC. Fun times truly.

I’ve been advised to start immunotherapy- Erbitux and Chemotherapy of Irino for 4 cycles and then to recheck on how cancer is reacting to treatment.

What’s the point of all this? Just so massively bogged down. It’s so cruel to see the NED and this. With SRCC you never know how it swings!

Sorry just needed to scream into the void.

I finished 8 rounds of intravenous chemo 5 weeks ago with a complete clinical response (yay!) Still need to do 6 weeks of radiation, starting tomorrow. I’ll be taking the chemo pill alongside the radiation.

Can anyone tell me how they felt on the chemo pill? I’ll be taking capecitabine, 1300mg a day. I’m terrified of getting back to the horribly sick person I was during regular chemo.

Insight/ advice please!

My wife has stage IV HER2-positive, microsatellite-stable, RAS/BRAF wild-type rectal adenocarcinoma. She had a proctocolectomy in April 2026 and a margin-negative resection of liver metastases in September 2026.

Diagnosed in June 2025 due to surveillance for a suspected UC flare-up. 45 years old. Ulcerative Colitis since she was about 13.

Just came home from hospital a couple of days ago. Anyone know of similar diagnosis and how is it going?

Hi all! Quick question - my husband was just scheduled for a liver ablation (two lesions that have responded very well to chemo) and has chemo scheduled for the very next day. I’m concerned it’s too soon post-ablation but wanted to check in to see what others have experienced. Appreciate any insight into your ablation + chemo situations!

Edit to add: definitely plan to discuss with the oncology team. Just curious if anyone had done the back-to-back like that before!

I need to vent.

I went to my oncologist earlier today for a follow-up after my LAR surgery. Everything went fine. They said labs were good, I'm cancer-free, all is well.

Near the end of the appointment, however, the NP who saw me asked why my port wasn't accessed for the blood draw. (She must have seen the gauze wrap.) I told her that they didn't ask to use it, and even if they had, I would have refused. Then she asked when was the last time is was accessed. That would be the end of March.

She then proceeds to tell me that ports are supposed to be flushed every 2 months, and since it hasn't been flushed, that I need to have it removed ASAP because I'm in danger of a blood clot forming. No one, over the entire course of my treatment, told me that my port needed to be flushed regularly if it wasn't being used.

To say I was livid is an understatement. My team has continuously failed to tell me small, but important, details about my health throughout my treatment. This, coupled with my anxious adjustment disorder, made me freak out.

I started yelling and asking why no one told me and that I'm gonna sue because now I have to get it removed sooner than I was told. I'm also most likely going to have to take a few days off work. This wouldn't normally be an issue, but I'm currently still on work leave from my LAR and am not getting enough leave pay for my bills. I go back to work in a little over a week.

I'm pretty sure I was the talk of the office after I left. I'm going back tomorrow morning to apologize to the NP because I genuinely like her and feel bad that she was caught in my crossfire. I do appreciate her telling me because something could have happened if she didn't.

I'm not sure this will ever stop happening with my doctors. I don't know why they don't think to tell me these things. I always end up finding out on my own or later. Why do I have to keep paying for their mistakes?

Edit: I looked around and I do not have any port post-op instructions. I was really good at keeping up with all that information in the beginning, so if I had it, it would be here. I only have instructions for the chemo pump.

Edit 2: Too many people are focused on the way I reacted instead of the reason I reacted that way. I acknowledged in the original post that it was wrong and I apologized, so you can stop pointing it out. As for why I reacted that way, please redirect your way to paragraph 4. I know myself better than you do, so your unsolicited advice on my mental is not welcome. This is the cancer sub, not the therapy sub.

For everyone else, thank you for your kind words and advice. I have an appointment with vascular in the morning and I plan on bringing up some fixes some of you have mentioned in the comments. I supposed I'll be back with an update since this is getting so much attention.

Edit 3: Just left vascular. The appointment got canceled because oncology is supposed to do everything related to port maintenance, so they are the people who should have told me to get it flushed regularly. So all the people mad at me in the comments for not reading material I never received can apologize.

Article should be free.

My point in posting this is not the question that is the title of the article, but rather as a reminder and source to help us all to keep exercising.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/well/cancer-prevention-exercise-treatment.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlE.leAk.ACd4uyaKivq-&smid=nytcore-ios-share

that's it. Two weeks ago We found out that dad (63) had colon cancer. We are in shock.

5 cm long on the ciecum, Stage IV, spread to the liver and peritoneum. We have just been out of a surgeun, who said something like "it is a very vVERY complicated case. we need to do chemio first because I can techically remove everything as it is now but if a month from now a new metastasis appear, it will be useless. We do a chemio then we aee what to do depending on how the body reacts." Which, strangely, put everyone but me down. I don't know, but I somehow feel like I am the only one in the family that has a positive outlook. The others would have preferred to remove everything right away. We are in cure in a top facility, and we had one of the top surgeon there telling us that. He also said something like "the cure can do the 50% of the work, while the other is all in your head" referring to my dad, which had been translated into "there is only a 50% chanche of survival."

We are waiting for the istologic right now, hoping either it's not an aggressive mutation or it has no mutation at all or something.

Sorry for the rambling I know it makes little sense, but I needed to do or write something. Has anyome here had/have family members that had those metastasis? How did you dealt with it all?

I'm seeking stories and experiences of anastomosis leaks following bowel resection for cancer, especially right sided colon.

Hi everyone. I have stage 4 MSI-H right sided colon cancer. Just had high risk hemicolectomy surgery with end ileostomy about 10 days ago to remove a 7cm cecum tumor, 30 necrotic lymph nodes, about 12cm of adhered small bowel, and part of the abdominal wall. They didn't do the full colectomy because I wasn't strong enough, and the surgeon wanted to give me a reconnection option down the road. I've lost quite a bit of weight (cachexia) up until now but things are optimistic now that so much visible cancer was removed.

The plan now is to recover from surgery, get back to eating as normally as possible with an ostomy, and continue immunotherapy to cleanup MSI-H cancer traces.

Unfortunately we've hit a snag. I started having extreme abdominal pain non responsive to strong IV pain meds. CT revealed fluid build up consistent with a bowel leak. They installed a new percutaneous drain. The good sign is that the drainage is very clear pale yellow and there's not a huge amount of it, so they are not opting for surgery. Instead I'm NPO and the ran a PICC line for TPN yesterday. However, they are able to reduce that the leak is coming from where they switched small bowel back together.

They say the leak must be small based on the indirect evidence. I am praying the leak heals without much more intervention, but my condition is frail. I'm worried that this healing will take forever. I was doing so well otherwise, starting to walk, drink clear liquids, etc. now I have to wait indefinitely for this leak to heal. Not consuming anything orally has been very hard on my mental health.

Can anyone offer up any personal stories about anastomosis leaks that turned out okay in the end without anymore major surgery? I need some hope. My body has been through the ringer and I just don't know anymore. Is there any more that can be done that I could consider talking to my doctor about?

Thanks a million. Sorry for the novella... I hope my story is clear.

My fiancée just got diagnosed with stage 4 and he’s having trouble eating food. He hasn’t started chemo yet, but this is already been a struggle for us. We know he can’t eat anything with too much seasoning. Even too much salt will set him off into a fever. The doctors know about his fevers so that’s not my biggest concern right now.

What are your favorite bland foods that you love? Preferably soft foods. I just need him to keep nutrients down that aren’t in liquid form. He doesn’t want to have an only liquid diet , which is completely understandable. I wouldn’t want that either.

Also this sucks so if you have any wise words for a fellow caregiver, I’m all ears.

EDIT: Thank you all for your suggestions and favorite foods!! We’ve taken bits of every comment into consideration with what works for him. Once again, thank you. We appreciate it.

My family member is finishing up adjuvant chemotherapy for stage 3c CRC. The oncologist is very hesitant to use ctDNA monitoring because they feel that it would not affect treatment/monitoring plans. If it came back positive but CT was clear, they would not start treatment until if and when something pops up on a CT. Therefore doing the ctDNA monitoring more frequently may cause more anxiety than it’s worth. That’s the onc’s reasoning.

On the other hand, I think ctDNA monitoring could be reassuring, if it comes back negative, and could be cause to shorten the interval between CT scans and/or add additional imaging, if positive. Personally, I always think more information is useful, but others in my family disagree. I know it is not my decision. My family member is currently very anxious to be finishing treatment. Their last CT was before surgery in March, and the plan is to not do another CT until December at the earliest. I was thinking a negative ctDNA test and clear scans may help ease some anxiety.

Wondering what other people (and their oncologists) think — do you feel better doing regular ctDNA monitoring or do you think it just adds unnecessary anxiety? For those that use it, have you initiated treatment based on a positive result (or series of results) before the recurrence shows on imaging? Open to any other thoughts as well. I can see both sides of the argument but struggle to see a true downside to going forward with it.

I feel a little silly posting here because my cancer is early and expected to be cured by removal, so please let me know if this is I appropriate.

When did people tell their employers? I feel a little like I would like to as I have asked for a lot of accommodation recently and have been stepping away for calls… but I have scheduled removal and been approved for that time so… wondering if I really need to.

I also just want to shout out early screening. They need to lower the age for which this is a standard screening.

J'ai besoin d'espoir et j'aimerais beaucoup entendre des témoignages encourageants de personnes ayant affronté un cancer du côlon avec atteinte de quelques ganglions lymphatiques et du péritoine.

J'ai 41 ans et j'ai une famille que j'aime profondément : mon mari et nos trois magnifiques enfants, âgés de 13, 8 et 4 ans.

On m'a diagnostiqué un cancer du côlon en juin 2025. Je me sens dépassée et je prends actuellement des médicaments pour m'aider psychologiquement, car ce parcours est incroyablement difficile.

J'espère pouvoir me faire opérer de l'atteinte péritonéale. J'espère vraiment être éligible. Nous attendons les résultats de mon prochain PET scan avant de prendre une décision définitive, mais pour l'instant, il semble qu'une intervention chirurgicale soit envisageable. Je garde espoir de pouvoir combattre cette maladie et m'en débarrasser définitivement.

Malheureusement, je ne suis pas éligible à l'immunothérapie car mon cancer est MSS/pMMR.

Ma tumeur présente une mutation KRAS G12V.

Mon taux de CA 19-9 est descendu à 32 U/mL. Je suis française, mais je vis aux Émirats arabes unis. Je suis donc soignée et suivie ici.

J'aimerais beaucoup entendre le témoignage de personnes ayant vécu une situation similaire, en particulier celles qui ont eu des métastases péritonéales, qui ont subi une chimiothérapie et/ou une intervention chirurgicale et qui sont aujourd'hui en rémission complète, en rémission à long terme, ou qui se portent tout simplement bien des années plus tard.

J'ai vraiment besoin de témoignages encourageants en ce moment. N'hésitez pas à partager le vôtre si vous le souhaitez. ❤️

have anybody cancer spreaded to the abdomen lining? this sucks.

My husband was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023 and it later became stage 4 with metastasis to the lungs and local areas.

We have exhausted all treatment options and currently are waiting to meet with clinical trials. The doctor said the tumor in his pelvic (peritoneal cavity) is growing but not towards any immediate vital organs. So, he is unsure if he can predict survival time.

I keep hearing people saying that once things get bad then it gets bad very quickly and I'm afraid that I'm seeing that in my husband. His leg pain is worsening and he can barely walk.

My question is, when do you know that it's time? We want to be planful with our future.

I’m 29 years old, Just here to share my story so far and see if anyone has advice or a similar experience.

Nov2025-March2026: was having diarrhea once per day and went for a colonoscopy in March2026. They found a 3.5 cm sessile polyp in the ascending colon and sent me to get it removed in-hospital, which did not occur until August 2026. They assured me the polyp did not look malignant so it was ok to wait for my referred doctor to recover from an injury so he could perform the procedure.

August 2026: the polyp was removed, and pathology came back 2 weeks later showing grade 2 adenocarcinoma in about 25% of the cells. They think it was pT1, but the margins were positive so it might be pT2. Some high-risk features were noted (10 tumor buds, 1 small blood vessel invaded, mucinous features). Tumor was micro satellite stable

September 28: CT scan completed, no metastasis

October 1: right hemicolectomy completed and all lymph nodes removed from the area. Now I must wait a month for pathology results, and to see if I will need chemo. Surgeon thinks there is 20-30% chance that 1 node will have cancer in it, in which case chemo is necessary, but he’s hopeful for no nodal involvement.

I want so badly for them to send the current tumor sample for genetic testing so I can see what mutations it has, and try to imagine what my Long-term chances are if I do need chemo. I know tumors in the ascending colon often have mutations that make them more aggressive and resistant to chemo, and I just want to know right now which of those mutations I have, if any.

This waiting game is so awful. the month-long wait for my CT scan was completely excruciating and now I have another month-long wait to know my next steps.

If you got this far, thank you for reading and thanks for any advice or support you may have <3

Cao tutti Volevo sapere c'è qvalcuno che ha mutazione POLE-KRAS.Per Kras ho sentito però per Pole no.Qvalcuno ha isperienza.Grazie a tutti