experiences with Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

[paul_desiree]

Carcinoid tumours in the liver: my oncologist and surgeon(s) recommended me to Peter Mac for one of their specialist Petptide Receptor Radionuclide treatments my 4 lesions in the liver are 'relatively' small....and would respond to the Peter Mac treatment ....also, the treatment would be minimally invasive and effective in 5-7 mths...and would be more deemed "preventative" in that I could avoid the inevitable carcinoid syndrome symptoms I would expect to begin to experience in the coming 12+ mths written response from Peter Mac.....apparently I am not sick enough to be treated at the moment....wait till my tumours are re-assessed in 6 monthly re-scans...and then re-apply Peter Mac is the only place offering this treatment in Australia has anyone else experienced this type of response / frustration tks....Paul S

[caring_partner]

Hi Paul. My husband had a similar experience when he had tests to see if he was a candidate for SERT spheres in his liver.Although previous MRI showed inumerable tumours in the liver and current tests showed his anatomy was capable of receiving the spheres we were told the liver wasn't as bad a previous and as he has fluid around the peritoneium he needed second line chemo for that but maybe sometime in the future they may insert the spheres. So frustrating sometimes. Regards Gail.

[#3]

paul, it's all about information. If your original bowel surgery indicated colon cancer, you didn't mention it, then I'm guessing that the lesions in your liver are secondaries. If this is so your further treatment options may be regarded as palliative treatment. Your surgeon is the person to advise you as he made the referal to the PeterMac. There is very good information in the Cancer Council 'Bowel - Colorectal - Cancer' 2007 and it's other publications. Palliative treatment, as it was explained to me, is about relief of symptoms. I have experienced the frustration of expecting preventative radiation therapy on a secondary tumor, but told I must first wait for symptoms to develop. Talk to your, GP, Surgeon, and Oncologist. But don't forget to call the Cancer Council Helpline because they and their network of resources are not as time constrained as are our Specialist Doctors.

[Sailor]

Hi Paul Ask the Peter Mac - they will tell you. However, there are a few things that you need to consider. You have already had colo-rectal cancer, so I assume, like borderline, that the tumours in the liver are secondaries, rather than primary cancer. As the treatment is only available at the Peter Mac, it suggests that it is fairly experimental, so it is most likely being done under clinical trial conditions. Most clinical trials have fairly tight criteria for entry into treatment. Unless they do this and establish good evidence that the treatment works, then no one is helped. It is not ethical to use experimental treatment on people who do not fit the criteria. Regards Sailor An incorrectly identified mark is a hazard, not an aid, to navigation. Alton B. Moody