a christmas miracle
I WITNESSED A MIRACLE TODAY.
The patient with the belly mass was discharged over the weekend, pathology pending. We knew it would be bad... all signs pointed to metastatic cancer, even given just the sheer SIZE of this thing. When we took the mass out during surgery, it was the size of a premature baby, no joke. The radiologist had noted some questional lymph nodes on the CT scan, and there was question of invasion into one of the belly wall muscles. To be honest, I had kind of put it out of my mind just because it was such heavy news to stomach.
Well, the results of the pathology and cancer staging came back.
Flipping through the screen, I cannot believe what I see. There on the screen, it shouts Tumor Staging: T1.
T1. Out of the possibility of T1, T2, T3, or T4. ONE. Meaning it only invaded into the submucosa, but that is like the tip of the iceberg in the grand scheme of tumors. Scrolling down, I see the lymph node & further analysis:
16 lymph nodes;
Lymph Node A: No invasion
Lymph Node B: No invasion
Lymph Node C: No invasion
Lymph Node D: No invasion
Lymph Node E: No invasion
Lymph Node F: No invasion
[etc, etc]
Metastasis: NA
Clear Resection Margins
Staging: T1 N0 M0
What does this mean? This guy went home thinking (along with all the doctors) that he had advanced colon cancer. No. He got a FUCKING miracle. He gets the news that every cancer patient wants to hear. He is the % they give you to hope for when you feel like you have nothing left to hang onto.
He only has Stage 1 colon cancer and is for all intents & purposes CURED by surgical excision.
The survival rate goes from 8% in 5 years to in the 90%'s. How.. incredible. From thinking he's stage 4 to finding out he's stage 1. Amazing. This world is absolutely amazing. I have nothing left to say.
The patient with the belly mass was discharged over the weekend, pathology pending. We knew it would be bad... all signs pointed to metastatic cancer, even given just the sheer SIZE of this thing. When we took the mass out during surgery, it was the size of a premature baby, no joke. The radiologist had noted some questional lymph nodes on the CT scan, and there was question of invasion into one of the belly wall muscles. To be honest, I had kind of put it out of my mind just because it was such heavy news to stomach.
Well, the results of the pathology and cancer staging came back.
Flipping through the screen, I cannot believe what I see. There on the screen, it shouts Tumor Staging: T1.
T1. Out of the possibility of T1, T2, T3, or T4. ONE. Meaning it only invaded into the submucosa, but that is like the tip of the iceberg in the grand scheme of tumors. Scrolling down, I see the lymph node & further analysis:
16 lymph nodes;
Lymph Node A: No invasion
Lymph Node B: No invasion
Lymph Node C: No invasion
Lymph Node D: No invasion
Lymph Node E: No invasion
Lymph Node F: No invasion
[etc, etc]
Metastasis: NA
Clear Resection Margins
Staging: T1 N0 M0
What does this mean? This guy went home thinking (along with all the doctors) that he had advanced colon cancer. No. He got a FUCKING miracle. He gets the news that every cancer patient wants to hear. He is the % they give you to hope for when you feel like you have nothing left to hang onto.
He only has Stage 1 colon cancer and is for all intents & purposes CURED by surgical excision.
The survival rate goes from 8% in 5 years to in the 90%'s. How.. incredible. From thinking he's stage 4 to finding out he's stage 1. Amazing. This world is absolutely amazing. I have nothing left to say.