Cancer-stricken Cochren remains upbeat
When Chuck Cochren went into Bloomington Hospital in January, he thought the dull pains in the right side of his stomach stemmed from an appendix problem.
The exam scam showed far worse.
“The nurse came in and said I had colon cancer, a Type 4 cancer that is the worst kind,” the 44-year-old former Wood Memorial and Oakland City University basketball center recounted Monday morning from his Bloomington home.
“My first thought was:
“’How long am I going to live?’”
Not only did cancer infect the colon in Cochren’s large intestine, several tumors were found in his liver, and the cancer had spread into his lungs.
Through Feb. 2 surgery, a foot-and-a-half-long cancerous growth was removed, and he has undergone chemotherapy treatments every other week.
“There’s no known cure for my Type 4 cancer. For sure it’s a battle, but I’m staying optimistic,” said Cochren, whose 6-5 daughter Kaiti starred in basketball at Wood Memorial and Vincennes University, but had to end her career at Eastern Kentucky University last season due to epileptic seizures.
“After getting the news in the emergency room, I got hold of myself. I started praying. That made me feel better.
“I’m trying to stay calm to keep everybody around me calm.”
Cochren has been told that once Type 4 colon cancer is diagnosed, the expected life span is 18 to 36 months.
“We know people who are doing better than that. I’m going to do better,” he said.
“I don’t look at this as a death sentence.”
Neither do friends. They’ve organized a “Benefit for the Big Man” golf scramble Sept. 17 at Oakland City Golf Club. Entry fee is $240 per foursome. Thirty teams have already registered and openings remain. The morning flight will run from 8 a.m. to noon, the afternoon flight from 1-5 p.m. Registration brings lunch, a silent auction will run all day, and the winner of a hole-in-one shootout will win a Dodge Charger.
“So many people are helping to organize this that I can’t name them all,” Cochren said Monday morning before playing a round of golf with 13-year-old eighth grade son Cameron and 11-year-old sixth grade son Jackson. He and wife Natalie, who teaches fifth and sixth grade at Gosport Elementary School near Spencer, also have a third son, 6-year-old first grader Bo.
“My ex-wife Sally Mathis came up with the idea for the scramble,” said Cochren, who due to chemotherapy treatments is on disability, having left his job as a systems analyst for Insight (recently purchased by Comcast Communications).
Cancer Of Appendix - News
But Dr. Ryan, a gastrointestinal oncologist, suggested in an interview that the procedure was being extended to colorectal cancer because “you can't make a living doing this procedure in appendix cancer patients.” He debated the procedure publicly at
When Chuck Cochren went into Bloomington Hospital in January, he thought the dull pains in the right side of his stomach stemmed from an appendix problem. “The nurse came in and said I had colon cancer, a Type 4 cancer that is the worst
But through the tiny bikini-line incision, her surgeon discovered a tumor on her appendix slowly spewing what looked like marmalade throughout her abdomen. After cutting out the tumor, he hurriedly washed away the thick jelly -- a mixture of mucous and
“When they got in there, they discovered it was germ cell ovarian cancer. They removed an ovary, a fallopian tube, her appendix and part of her spleen and a portion of her lower and upper intestine. There was 2 percent (of the mass) they couldn't get.
SAN DIEGO -- A controversial cancer treatment at UC San Diego is attracting national headlines and criticism. Four years ago, 34-year-old Jennifer Ambrose was diagnosed with appendix cancer. The Chicago native said her family reviewed their options,
New Cancer Debate: Are 'Shake & Bake' Chemotherapy Baths Effective ...
A controversial, aggressive and rarely-performed cancer treatment, commonly called hot chemotherapy, was recently up for debate at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.
Hot chemotherapy (or hot chemo baths) is a procedure that involves cutting open the abdominal cavity and surgically removing all visible cancers from organs (cytoreductive surgery). The incision is then stitched back up and 3 liters saline and chemotherapeutic liquid is pumped into the abdomen at 42 degrees Celsius (about 108 degrees Fahrenheit). Some doctors are reported as saying the heat makes the chemotherapy more effective.
For 90 minutes to two hours, nurses jiggle the abdomen gently to ensure it reaches all abdominal crevices. The liquid is then pumped out. This “chemo bath” part of the procedure is called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (Hipec).
As the New York Times reports , this therapy was initially reserved for rare forms of appendix cancers, but is now also being offered for some ovarian and colorectal cancers. However, it is only offered at a few hospitals in North America.
This video explains it all:
This video has the real-life procedure but with graphic images (WARNING):
Though very little data exists on the effectiveness of Hipec, some say it helps increase the lives of those with certain types of abdominal cancers while others say traditional intravenous chemotherapy would be just as effective and less invasive.
The New York Times has more on the debate:
[David P. Ryan, clinical director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center] debated the procedure publicly at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. While some patients did seem to live much longer than expected, he said that they had been carefully selected and might have fared well even without the therapy.
Proponents say that if cancer has spread into the abdominal cavity but not elsewhere, then lives can be prolonged by removing all the visible tumor and killing what’s missed with Hipec.
By contrast, said Paul Sugarbaker, a surgeon at Washington Hospital Center and the leading proponent of Hipec, “there are no long-term survivors with systemic chemotherapy — zero.”
Mr. S. had abdominal pain eventually diagnosed as appendicitis. But the appendix was found to be cancerous. Such cancers typically spew mucus containing tumor cells into the abdominal cavity. So he signed up for surgery and Hipec with [surgeon Andrew Lowy from the University of California, San Diego].
Cancer Of Appendix - Bookshelf
Battling and Beating Cancer, The Cancer Survival Book
APPENDIX “B” APPENDIX “B” CANCER TYPES This listing is derived from the National Cancer Institute's Website. A Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, ...JAMA., The Journal of the American Medical Association
I have seen a case of cancer of the appendix in which consultants were not at all agreed that the symptoms were sufficient to warrant operation ...The Strang Cancer Prevention Center Cookbook
Appendix Nutrition and Cancer Information Resources and Cancer Facts FOR THOSE INTERESTED in more detailed and current information about cancer research and ...Living with Cancer
APPENDIX 3 Cancer Centers The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recognizes two types of centers: Comprehensive Cancer Centers and Clinical Cancer Centers. ...Healing Cancer, The Top 12 Non-Toxic Cancer Treatments to Help You Beat Cancer
... Continuing 205 Appendix A: Additional Well Known Cancer Therapies 211 Rene Caisse & Other Herbal Remedies 212 Vitamin C in Cancer Therapy 222 Appendix ...Day-to-day News Directory
Appendix Cancer | Cancer.Net
Appendix cancer occurs when cells in the appendix become abnormal and multiply without control. These cells form a growth of tissue, called a tumor. ...
Appendix cancer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Appendix cancer or appendiceal cancer are rare malignancies of the vermiform appendix. ... Adenocarcinomas are more common primary malignancies of the appendix than carcinoids. ...
Appendix Cancer
If a mass in the appendix is encountered incidentally during the course of abdominal ... Cancer of the appendix is an uncommon disease that is rarely ...
Appendix Cancer
Get an overview, a list of symptoms, and information about common treatments for appendix cancer.
Appendix Cancer | Cancer.Net
Cancer.Net maintains a list of national, not-for-profit organizations that may be helpful ... The appendix averages 10 centimeters (cm) in length and is considered part of the ...