What happens when cancer scans show growth after being off treatment?

When scans show growth after a treatment break, oncologists typically review the timeline and circumstances to determine the best next steps. Since treatment interruptions due to low blood counts are common and sometimes necessary for patient safety, your medical team will likely consider restarting or adjusting your treatment plan based on your current health status and the scan results. This situation is something your care team has experience managing, so discussing your concerns and questions about moving forward will help you understand your specific options.

I am so disillusioned with my cancer treatment, my oncologist finally ordered the IV Chemo, Oxaliplatin and oral Capecitabine but stopped both due to hemoglobin dropped from 7.5 to 7.1. Took months to get it ordered. He doesn't answer questions, says his focus is treating the cancer. I am supposed to go to my local ED and tell them I need a blood transfusion. My problem is I find blood Transfusions gross, get sick with the thought of some ok me else's blood going into me, not a religious belief but a personal feeling plus I don't want blood with one who has had the Covid vaccine, don't care what they say, I don't want that spike mRNA in me either. Oncologist says he can order iron infusion but insurance has to approve the referral. I told him and every clinician I have seen I bleed a lot yet not one has asked me how much I bleed and I feel the oncologist should have been proactive in getting my hemoglobin up, not waiting until it becomes an emergency problem. Plus I finally got into seeing the surgical oncologist and asked about getting a colostomy, only wanted info and input and the surgical oncologist ran with it and obtained an emergency surgical approval. There were many small glitches that had me on the fence and when his office gave me the wrong pre-op time that was straw that broke the camel's back so I cancelled the surgery, just didn't feel comfortable going forward with the surgery so I cancelled it then when I learned my hemoglobin was 7.1, I was glad I cancelled, what if I had a bleed during surgery? I just feel like everything is stacked against me. Anyone else have one problem after another?

Praying for you! My dr said they would not give me platelets because the chemo would just kill them and it was pointless. Have you considered maybe trying for a new dr? I know sometimes you get stuck with what’s available to you. When I went in for scans results he said I wasn’t responding to the oxlilplatin (sp) but he had me off it for 2 months. Can’t respond to something I’m not getting! And I was responding to it scans were good before he took me off because of WBC. I feel Ike they have so many patients they can’t keep up with it all and because of yet we as patients feel like we aren’t getting heard and treated like we should

Rochelle: ask if you are a candidate for immunotherapy. There are now many immunotherapies on the market. I will pray for you, your doctor and your care!

For me when I was on iv chemo my cancer didn't spread then I was off 2 mths and it spread went back on chemo had to stop to have a second sugery.when i stopped it spread again did 6 mths of iv chemo stopped for 2 mths started again and did 6 more mths .now I am on starving pill form chemo been on it about 9 mths have 2 small tumors on liver but has not grown since I started this chemo pill or spread any further. I have stage 4 colon cancer

@marcia w Thank you for the kind words of encouragement. I just got home after undergoing a colostomy amy and over two weeks hospital. The Surgical Oncologist glowingly raved how getting the colostomy done would stop or greatly reduce the press and pain, hah. It only caused the pain to worsened, the pressure increased tenfold. I now refuse to see him for even post-op followup. I lay in bed crying non stop telling him and his team I should never ever have undergone the procedure. Never ever should I have undergone the surgery. Because I suffer from CRPS, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome it grossly affected the pain and healing.