Could I have Pseudo Signet Ring instead of cancer?

Understanding the need for certainty before major surgery is completely natural, and seeking a second opinion or additional testing when concerned about rare conditions like pseudo signet ring cells shows strong self-advocacy. Many patients find it helpful to discuss their specific concerns with their oncology team or seek consultation with another specialist who may have more experience with rare mimics, as getting clear answers can provide the peace of mind needed to move forward confidently with treatment decisions.

Joseph I have never heard of it - but am going tomorrow for immunotherapy and will ask about it. Tomorrow is my sixth treatment. They have also scheduled me for more if necessary and I get my second PET scan on 11/4. If the tumor has shrunk significantly they will postpone the surgery. Have your doctors said anything similar?

Jennifer, sounds like you are at the tail end of your third cycle. Outstanding!👍🏻 The day after your PET scan, I will be getting a CT scan with contrast. And yes! My Oncologist, just yesterday while there for my third treatment, he told me there is a possibility I will not need surgery at all. For me, I absolutely know my tumor is shrinking due to my ability to swallow. As well as how hot stuff no longer makes it feel like I have a sore throat when I swallow. I’m beating this.

Will check back in after our tests - hoping for good news for both! I know my tumor is shrinking also - pain went away after 2 weeks and was able to swallow also. More to follow.

Also they just moved my PET scan up to 10/21 so it will be done at completion of the full cycle. They already scheduled the second round which would start on 10/28.

How many cycles/ rounds are they giving you? For me it’s four. And they are giving me the CT in the day my second cycle ends. On the day my fourth cycle ends, if I understood them correctly, they are doing another laparoscopy procedure. If no cancer is present, no surgery.

Also, is it every 2 or 3 weeks for you? For me, it’s every 3 weeks.

I had a total of six treatments. I had Ipililumab (Yervoy) and Nivolumab (Opdivo) on the first and 4th treatment and must Nivolumab in all treatments (total six). I had treatments every two weeks. The 6th and final was Wed 10/14. So my PET/CT scan will be in 10/21. They moved it up from 11/4. They are also scheduling an Endoscopy but no date yet. The team wants to avoid surgery whenever possible. My cancer is DMMR (MisMatch Repair Deficient), also known as MSI-High (Microsatellite Instability - High) which responds poorly to Chemo but can respond well to Immunotherapy. From what I read about the signet ring thing - that cancer is very rare and the cells look different. I think if the cells looked that way they would have tested for the mimic thing and I’m guessing that would have come up in the biopsy? Just a thought. Either way sounds like things are going well. I will let you know how my scan goes - I’m hoping we’ll!

Excellent! Can’t wait to get to where you’re at! Looking forward to hearing the results, and praying you are free of cancer.