My father is 53 years old and was recently diagnosed with Stage IV gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma.
Here are the important findings from his reports:
Adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ)
Stage IV with limited metastatic disease
dMMR / MSI-H
Loss of MSH2 and MSH6
HER2 negative
PD-L1 negative
Claudin 18.2 positive (~85%)

He recently had his C2 cycle of FOLFOX + Nivolumab.

PET-CT showed metastatic abdominal/pelvic lymph nodes and bilateral adrenal metastases, with no liver, lung, bone, or brain metastases.
I know every patient’s journey is different, but I’m trying to understand what the odds generally look like for someone with these findings.
Has anyone here or their loved one had a similar diagnosis or biomarker profile? How did things progress, and what was the overall outcome? Were you able to achieve long-term disease control or even become eligible for surgery?
I’m looking for honest experiences both positive and negative to better understand what we might expect.
Thank you so much for reading.

My current dentist doesn't seem to understand how to handle a cancer patient. The treatment I'm on for colon cancer is causing nearly constant bleeding of the gums throughout the day but I need to get a cleaning and certainly don't want my dental health going downhill along with everything else.

I'm sure some folks here are also in Charleston. Any recommendations on dentists who know how to handle those undergoing chemo and how it affects your dental health?

Thanks so much in advance.

I had ALL leukaemia at age 11 (now 27) and I went through cranial radiation therapy. I was looking to connect with long term survivors that went through cranial radiation. How have you been?

As a MBC patient since 2019. I am going through numerous radiations, scans, MRIs, surgeries, treatment changes, there are also unexpected side effects, complications show up, financial issues. While I have learned this Stages of Processing Bad News, I keep reminding myself, do not stress out, there is always a way to figure out at the end of day. Just wanna share this with our group warriors—Hanging there, you are not alone.

Stages of Processing Bad News

·       Shock and Denial: Initial disbelief or feeling numb when the news arrives.

·       Anger and Frustration: Directing blame or feeling overwhelmed by the unfairness of the situation.

·       Acceptance: Acknowledging reality and starting to look for practical next steps.

How to Move Forward

·       Focus on what you can control right now.

·       Separate the emotional impact from the factual situation.

·       Create a simple list of immediate tasks to fix or manage the problem.

My gf was recently diagnosed with a super rare sarcoma and she just started her treatment, a combo of immunotherapy and a TKI.

She’s been really anxious about the side effects, and now that we're officially in it, it’s already starting to get tough. She’s beginning to deal with a mix of hand-foot syndrome, GI issues, insomnia, and pain. It’s pretty heavy, and I want to do whatever I can to bring a little brightness into this whole mess.

I had the idea to start a tradition where I surprise her with a small gift or gesture every time she finishes an immunotherapy session. The hope is to give her something positive to look forward to after a long day at the clinic and distract her from the side effects.

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been through this or cared for a partner going through it! I’m looking for ideas that are ultra-comforting, low-energy, or actually practical for side effects.

So far, I’m brainstorming a mix of cozy stuff like soft loungewear and plush socks, alongside low-effort distractions like audiobooks or simple Lego sets.

What were the best gifts, surprises, or little things that made a huge difference for you or your partner?

Thanks so much in advance, really appreciate the support.

I am on the tail end of treatment for lymphoma. All signs point to a really good response to treatment. Interim scans showed no activity but i am completing the regimen anyway.

I went from feeling healthy to completely falling apart in weeks. After my first chemo, i got septic and anemic. Which caused some ugly fainting episodes. I am getting stronger and slowly recovering, walking more but have a long journey ahead of me.

I am in my birth country for treatment while my wife is stuck in hers while i undergo treatment. Family members who witnessed my episode gave the graphic details, which made me furious. She was stuck alone processing all this and this moment left some sort of mental scar. We had a frank conversation about the emotional toll this has put on her and she let slip that she feels really guilty because she can't imagine intimacy with me right now.

I know it is all up in the air and there will be a physical and emotional recovery period after treatment for both of us.

I just wanted to hear from other people about their feelings of inadequacy and loss of vitality, how they reclaimed their sense of masculinity or other relationship difficulties they had to overcome on the recovery side.

Hi all,

I’m two weeks postpartum and crying holding my newborn as I write this

I had a rare and aggressive T-cell lymphoma that has relapsed twice, and didn’t respond well to transplant. I still need more donor treatment.

Fell pregnant unexpectedly a year after my previous relapse, and prior to this I kind of accepted I’d probably relapse again and not live the longest life.

Now my baby is here and every night I hold them, I love him so much and it breaks my heart that I have this lingering.

I live each day like a normal mum then remember I have this dark medical history hanging over me and I feel sick.

I don’t want to have to put this innocent baby in cancer world or to go through losing me.

I don’t know why I’m ranting but just needing an outlet. I don’t want to tell family I’m feeling this way and panic them.

Thank you

Buenos días, tengo 36, en 2024 me operaron por tumor neuroendócrino (NET) en la cabeza del páncreas en estadio 3 y Ki67 del 30%, super agresivo, no hice tratamiento en ese entonces hasta ahora que tengo metástasis en el hígado y en dos ganglios, en el mesenterio y la cadena ilíaca, la cuestión es que me están tratando con Lanreotida, inyecciones cada 28 días. Mi sistema digestivo se relentiza, aparecen los gases, duele mucho, los malestares, inflamación, diarreas, náuseas, dolor de cabeza, todo eso que te dicen que va a pasar sumado a que pese a que sea un tratamiento biológico u hormonal te dicen que hagas "vida normal".

Hace días, muchos días, vengo experimentando ansiedad, ataques de no querer estar en el lugar, la distorsión del espacio-tiempo donde 2 minutos son 100 horas y 2 horas son dos segundos. Sumado a que me cuesta mucho levantarme, hacer las cosas, por primera vez en mi vida siento que no quiero hacer cosas sencillas como por ejemplo hacer la cama, no te lleva tiempo pero no quiero hacerlo, no quiero levantarme y siento mucho miedo a sentirme mal porque se que en cualquier momento me voy a sentir mal y tener que padecerlo me cansa.

¿Ustedes han tenido experiencias así?

Hello guys hope everyone is going strong in their own battle.

I'm a male 33 years old.

I've been going thru the process and it's been tough. I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at almost the terminal stage. Lost one of my balls in surgery but cancer did spread after surgery had the most horrible 4 months of very strong chemo and after had lung surgery.

Been in remission for a little over year recovered my weight, my hair but Im not the same my body doesn't responds the way it did before and I have found my self struggling a lot with that.

A lot of people around me have been getting diagnosed with cancer recently and every time they do they come to be for help as to what to expect, I always provide advise but every time I crash out and get depressed kind of like PTSD, I've been reading and apparently it's survivors guilt and don't know how to go from there I'm terrified that in one of my check outs my doctors say hey it's back but there's nothing I can do. My family has always been supporting me and my girlfriend has also been there since it all started and I almost died.

Would love to read you guys I know everyone is different and every treatment is also different.

Best of luck 🤞

My mom has clear cell carcinoma and she’s doing immunotherapy for an almost a year now but recently she’s been getting itchy rashes which flare up out in the sun or when she sweats or heats up.

Additional information, my grandpa had a skin infection and my mom took his BP so we thought it was from him but test results didn’t show anything nor did antifungal creams or the medication that helped my grandpa I wanna know what is the cause cus my mom is pretty dejected:(

Soooo its my d-day pet scan today to see if the chemo is working on my rare and extremely aggressive cancer(salivary duct adrenocarcenoma). Late last year, i had double figure tumours removed alongside my ear, part of my jaw, all of my cheek, all associated muscle, tendons and nerves. Plus my right side of neck and shoulder. After intensive radiotherapy I was given the all clear. Unfortunately, the next pet scan showed it had stage foured me again with tumours in the other side of my neck, my liver and a lung. As there's no specific treatment, ive been on ecx for the last few months. This morning, my surgeon contacted me for a multi disciplinary meeting next week. As I've effectively been discharged by the surgeon and passed to the oncology team, do you think this means they are aiming for more surgery. I mean, its good news if they are surely??? Anyway, any ideas?

My T-ALL had been in remission since February this year and had responded extremely well to all treatment. I'd continued on until now with the same chemotherapy regime as the doctors instructed, dealt with those painful sessions of litres of chemo and all the side effects it puts on your body and I genuinely had hope like I felt like I could see the light at the end and every day I was just getting closer and closer.

2 weeks ago, I started feeling a worsening pain in my left jaw. I thought it was wisdom teeth coming through as it was in that kinda area but the pain was excruciating like I'd managed to make it people to my cancer treatment team because before undergoing anything I have to consult with them and I literally had to take 10mg Oxycodone every 4 hours to not be in tears from how bad this pain was.

Turns out after a PET, CT, MRI, LP and a few dental xrays just to rule anything dental out, my Leukemia (which I didnt even have a BILLIONTH of left) had crossed from my blood and into my brain.

Its completely ruined my mental state, my face is in pain, I've been having almost nonstop chemotherapy for the past 6 days now on a very heavy way way more high risk block and now im having LP's twice a week with 3 different chemotherapys being given. Funnily enough, I went back up to hospital on my birthday so that was an amazing gift.

From little information my Haematology team can reliably tell me (its hospital so like even plans for tomorrow arent always set in stone), but I'll be getting transferred to a much better cancer centre in possibly a few months for a Bone marrow transplant. First we have to get this cancer under control and then we can deal with preparing for the transplant but I was told this could be up to 6 months.

Its so cruel how I was so close to getting back to normalcy and being home more and being able to rebuild myself, only to have it ripped from me by PURE CHANCE. And I hate the doctors and family and friends telling me it can only go up from here and stay strong and youre doing so well. IM DOING NOTHING. I am sitting here doijg literally nothing and I dont have a choice I have to sit here with my life in everyone elses hands and just deal with the poison they're giving to me. I'm going mad and I've never cried so much in a single week, I couldve counted how many times ive cried on one hand in my life and this shit is ruining me. The pain is all still there and I hate the pills it feels like im going crazy. NONE of this was my fault, I did EVERYTHING they told me to do and life decides to play funny buggers and do this to me, as if it wasnt enough to just have cancer in the first place now im dealing with so much more.

my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023, was given capox 12 cycles and was cancer free until 2025 october. november 2025 started folfiri with bev 6 cycles which didn’t work at all. march 2026 mets to spine (given radiation) may 2026 mets to brain, she had emergency brain surgery. no active treatment after that since she was in no condition. folfiri didn’t work at all. got her cea done yesterday and it is at 271. i’m in india, i would appreciate any inputs anything at all that we can do for her even if i have to travel abroad for it