About 4 years ago my wife was diagnosed with lower bowel cancer (adino
carcinoma). The diagnosis was discovered just after the cancer went into
'self remission' e.g. for a number of weeks before she felt very very tired
and could not do half the things she could previously. One night when she
went to the bathroom it was as if her bowel exploded and there was lots of
blood in the stool, so we rushed up to the hospital where they said they
found a malignant tumour. However, after the hemiriage my wife reported that
she felt much better like back to normal, but the doctors said the cancer is
in remission and could come back at any time and kill her and they
reccommended she first have chemo and operation (resection) and then some
more chemo after the operation. She did these hard and painful things.

After the treatment was over about 4 years ago she had to see an oncologist
and her surgeion periodically to be monitored for recurrence and/or
metastasis because the propability was expected because during her resection
the surgeon established that the cancer had already spread to the nearby
lymph nodes.

After the initial operation my wife recovered most of the weight she lost
during the cancer and the operation but she was never able to maintain her
previous normally stable weight.

The first test she had shortly after the op was I think a barium type of
enema test to establish if there was any leakage firom the operation and
there was not.

About a year later she had a ct scan and that was clear.

During the second, third, and fourth years however, I am now surprised to
note that the doctors looking after her did not carry out ct scans but
carried out only cancer marker tests and she was assured each time that the
tests were clear.

About 4 years after the operation for cancer, my wife had a very small fall
to the carpet in our bedroom and a pain developed in her pelvis which she
reported to her GP. The GP arranged a scan of the spine (not the pelvis
area) and the scan only showed moderate degenarative changes.

About 4 months later in Feb, 05 my wifes pains became permanent in the
pelvis and down her left leg so she reported this to a doctors who arranged
a non-contrast ct scan of abdomen and pelvis which showed enlarged lymph
glands lying on the left common iliac artery, but overall the examination of
the abdomen and pelvis was otherwise negative it was reported by the
radiologist.

By March 05 my wife was in agony and needed extra strong subscription pain
killers and she had also lost about 5 kg of weight in about a month, so the
doctor prescribed a nclear medicine scan of the bones but this scan did not
reveal any cancer in the bones but suggested that a ct scan should be done.

At beginning of May 2005 a ct scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis were
done and eventually, what would have been obvious by the loss of weight, was
scientifically also shown in the ct scans which showed 5 to 6mm nodules on
the lungs (about 10). Also, tumour masses in the pelvis in the pelvis, also
significan hydronephrotic dilatation near the left kidney (the probable
cause of the terrible pain).

What I would like to know is how come these large and matured tumours were
unable to be detected before? I mean do they just grow so quickly in a
matter of days, months or a few years in the making?

Also, if markers were not reliable (they were saying to my wife that all was
ok because the markers were ok) but any one could see that the cancer was
there in the background because my wife was never able to maintain her
weight. Thats another thing they never really took records of her weight
each time shw went to see the doctors.

So the obvious questions worrying me are a)why did the doctors not arrange
at least one detailed scan per year for early detection and treatment? and
b) why did they not take note of her weight?

Any useful information would be appreciated. Thanks.