In patients diagnosed with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), extensive surgical removal of all visible disease...
Our first box of Christmas goodies is going out tomorrow – our way of saying “thank you” to the amazing hospital consultants and staff that have helped look after pseudomyxoma survivors on the wards.
Currently, Dr Sugarbaker is the Director for the Program in Peritoneal Surface Oncology. His interests are in gastrointestinal cancer, gynecologic malignancy and mesothelioma.
All of us here at Pseudomyxoma Survivor are really saddened by the news that Mr Fulford from the Christie has passed away. On behalf of all of us and our support group members, we pass our condolences to the team on the loss of a man that changed the lives of so many. To quote Mr Aziz, “The world is a poorer place without you, Paul”.
Omer Aziz is a UK-based consultant colorectal surgeon at The Christie and a member of the Pseudomyxoma Survivor medical advisory board.
My journey started in October 2013 (I was 53 years old), when I had an ultrasound to determine if I had gallstones or an issue with my gallbladder. The results showed a small cyst and mild fluid in my lower right abdomen area. It was decided that we would monitor the cyst and fluid and have an MRI in one year. We thought it was nothing more than an ovarian cyst. I never thought it would lead to a diagnosis of Mucinous Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma.
Dr Emel Canbay is Professor and Head of Department of Surgery at Biruni University Hospital.
The recommendations from the people in the support group are because they care. The decisions we make are literally life and death.
I can’t say it enough… are you dealing with a PMP specialist? If not, I would say you must.
They are the ones that have seen this stuff and the weird things it does. They can give better ideas as to what to do.
In my case, waiting seemed the best option at the time but with the specialist’s input, I chose to go ahead and now, even with the debt, the new body norms and everything, I am sooooo glad I followed his advice! He would have told me to watch and wait if in his experience there was a low risk. And I would have done it.
I didn’t have any related symptoms before my diagnosis. I went to the urologist for some UTI treatment. The doctor (my hero) ordered a CT scan. That was the beginning of my journey. PMP is so rare and the right treatment is so important. You have to do research just to find the right medical team that is experienced in treating PMP. My wife and family, of course, were there for me.
Prof Wim Ceelen is a senior GI surgeon at Ghent University Hospital, also an Associate Professor in surgical oncology at Ghent University.
Dr. Sardi is one of Maryland’s leading surgical oncologists who use Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat late stage, complex cancers of the abdominal region.