Hello! Thanks again for your comments on the previous posts. They're helping me a lot.
To those who haven't read them, my father has a colon cancer T0N0M1, with the main mass completely removed one year ago, for what we know. We believed he was cured, but one month ago he found out he has two peritoneal mets, one near the spleen and the other on the peritoneum above another part (completely separated) of the colon.
Today we've been told what will be the therapy: FOLFOX + Avastin + immunotherapy targeting a protein found on the surface of the cells of the previously removed tumor.
The oncologist told me that it would take two to three weeks to organize everything since the metastases are very small. I asked her if it's safe to wait, and she reassured me that the disease does not require immediate treatment, but it's best not to wait more than a month. Since there are some things my father needs to take care of, it's okay to wait a couple of weeks to get everything organized. Also, immunotherapy requires sending a piece of the tumor to labs where the drug is produced because it's a drug only given in clinical trials. The company needs to confirm my father's eligibility for the drug. This process, plus the EKG, cardiology visit, and additional blood tests, will take two to three weeks. Then, he'll be deemed fit to begin the trial.
And again, for those wondering, after a multidisciplinary meeting with specialists in various cancer treatment fields, it was determined that the risk of recurrence is too high for surgery to be useful at this time. I don't know if surgery will ever be an option, but I'm not going to argue with the oncologist. She has said many times that she is recommending this course of action based on the literature and the opinions of other specialists.
I know it's too early to make predictions, but still I'm very preoccupied, because small or not, are still peritoneal metastasis.
Furthermore, I know from experience that FOLFOX is associated with peripheral neuropathy, which preoccupies me even more. My father plays guitar in his free time (it's the only hobby he's willing to spend money on) and so I'm wondering not only if he'll survive, but also if he'll be able to play again if the therapy works. I haven't told him this yet because, if he knew he could eventually lose his ability to play guitar as he does now, it would be another blow to him.
Then I remind myself that, for now, the important thing is that he survives. At least live a good life for an acceptable amount of time. I only hope that amount of time is long enough.
Sorry for the fatalism, but it's very difficult for me to think otherwise right now.