Colon Cancer Spread to Bones...Prognosis?

[peanut23]

My 30 year old brother was diagnosed with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer with Metastasis to the bones on March 3, 2008.  His original prognosis was 3-6 years.  Since March, he has been on constant radiation because the bone cancer keeps moving.  It has been prominent in his spine, neck, shoulders, skull, etc. (at least, that is where he has received radiation.  The doctor says that it is "everywhere"  in "all of his bones")  He has not been able to have a colon resection because the cancer is not slowing down and they cannot take him off of radiation.  He went through one round of chemo, but cannot handle that either.  He has been in the hospital 5 times since March with severe pain and most recently for pneumonia.  He has had a thoracentesis and a paracentisis, but the fluid comes back within a week making him miserable.  He is on a CADD pump of 8 mg of Dilaudid per hour with boluses of 1 mg up to 4 times per hour.  He just seems to be getting worse.  Now that he has severe ascites, and the bone cancer does not seem to be subsiding, my question is, are we close to the end?  It seems that his doctors are not telling us any difference in prognosis, but yet, we are not seeing any improvement.  I know that his age is alarming and it seems to me that the doctors are pushing every single bit of treatment at him because he is so young, whereas, in a 70 year old patient, they would have already given up.  With all this said, has anyone been in this situation and can anyone give me an accurate representation of what to expect?  How much longer should we expect him to live?  He has gone through all of this with no slow down or positive progress in a short 4 months.  I want someone to be honest with me and not spare my feelings.  If my brother is going to die in a month, I want to know.  I want to be prepared emotionally.  Thanks in advance for any advice.

[drelady]

My husband is 25, and he was diagnosed with IV stage colonrectal cancer october of 2009. It already metastasized to his live in five spots, and they were to spread out to take any of his liver. He went through a 14 hour surgery in January of 2010, and he went through chemo up until this February. They told him he probably had cancer for about three years when they discovered it, and it runs in the family. The oldest aunt died at 27 meaning they all should have been checked at 17 about when his probably started growing. His mom has also been diagnosed. She is also worthless...bless her. He had a perforated bowel in march which caused him to be off chemo for 5 months. He woke up one day and had blurry vision....in the brain. Two weeks later in the bone and it has been a steady decline since. The gentleman who runs the cancer center at the hospital here said 2-6 wks if he had to guess but he isnt a doctor. The doctor said three months is generous. They dont like to talk timelines because they want a miracle to happen but highly unlikely. I dont expect my husband to make it through September. So cherish the moments because they are fast and fleeting...God Bless Your Family  

[drelady]

My husband is 25, and he was diagnosed with IV stage colonrectal cancer october of 2009. It already metastasized to his live in five spots, and they were to spread out to take any of his liver. He went through a 14 hour surgery in January of 2010, and he went through chemo up until this February. They told him he probably had cancer for about three years when they discovered it, and it runs in the family. The oldest aunt died at 27 meaning they all should have been checked at 17 about when his probably started growing. His mom has also been diagnosed. She is also worthless...bless her. He had a perforated bowel in march which caused him to be off chemo for 5 months. He woke up one day and had blurry vision....in the brain. Two weeks later in the bone and it has been a steady decline since. The gentleman who runs the cancer center at the hospital here said 2-6 wks if he had to guess but he isnt a doctor. The doctor said three months is generous. They dont like to talk timelines because they want a miracle to happen but highly unlikely. I dont expect my husband to make it through September. So cherish the moments because they are fast and fleeting...God Bless Your Family  

[Tuckamore]

First let me say I am so sorry for your brother and for those that love him, especially you. I would talk to his doctor and tell him just what you said here, "I want someone to be honest with me......I want to know."  I cannot tell you how long your brother has on this earth. I'm not sure anyone can for sure. When this happened in my family we could not get a doctor to give us a life expectancy either. All they would say is, "His condition is very grave." Our family member was gone in 48 days. We watched the rapid decline in his condition. Your brother is young and may improve but again I encourage you to speak to his doctor. I wish you the best.  Tuck