My mother has primary peritoneal cancer . She was diagnosed at Stage IIIC almost two weeks ago. Today, her legs are swollen from her thighs through her calf on each leg. Do we need to get her back in to see her Oncologist? Does this mean it is moving into stage IV? She has been constipated also for 3 days and we were told to watch for that.
This could mean a number of things, and you definitely need to see your oncologist. It could be because of the disease in the abdomen pressing on the veins of the legs leading to edema. The constipation could also be due to the disease pressing on the rectum and colon (large bowel). However, the swelling in the legs could also be due to blood clotting in the veins of the legs particularly if it's painful. This is a serious life-threatening condition and needs immediate hospitalization and treatment. You have not mentioned the treatment that you are taking for the cancer. If that has not been started I suggest you do it at the earliest so the disease related problems subside. The treatment for stage AIIC primary peritoneal cancer is chemotherapy (injections for cancer)