Cancer Treatment Options Forum - August 30th, 2011 - 5 Comments
More cancer….more chemo. One doc wants to do surgery, the other doesn't?
My mom was just diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in her colon. It’s previously spread to the lungs, bones, new cancer in her other breast (same exact type of breast cancer 9 years after the first one), liver, and now her colon. They aren’t exactly sure how big the tumor is because it’s hard to gauge in the spot it’s in.
The doctor who did the colonoscopy suggested surgery but her regular oncologist said to try a different type of chemo drug first. Chemo and radiation has been "working" pretty well I guess for the past 5 years. It keeps spreading but the Herceptin is keeping her alive basically, since all the cancers are er+. She had her first reoccurance 5 years after the original cancer was found and has been on chemo 3 weeks on / 1 week off since 2005.
My mom’s attitude towards it is, "Hey, at long as it doesn’t reach my brain I’m good". She’s always kept a positive attitude on the outside no matter what her tests results showed but I couldn’t imagine going to bed every night, wondering when and where it’s going to be next.
Anyways, do you think her oncologist making the right decision? We figure if they do open her up and remove the tumor, it will just cause the cancer to spread even more quickly. I see the other doctor’s POV wanting to remove it but I just don’t know.
Opinions?
Other than cancer, she is an otherwise healthy 56 year old woman. She still works full time and lives almost 300 miles away so what she tells us is all we know.
You should seek out a second or third opinion. Here is our experience . . doctors are reluctant to do surgery because it is ‘not curative’ . . but that does not mean that it is always the right choice. I know in our experience with multiple tumors that surgery is ALWAYS the goal . . to remove as many tumors as possible before they do damage or intertwine with tissue and organs. Sometimes chemo can be used . . but in your mothers case the doctor is being really conservative in his approach. The other doctor sees a chance for your mother . . perhaps adding additional years to her life . . and he thinks he can help her. This is up to your mother and her team of oncologists though to determine what to do. She really should be talking to other cancer patients who have gone through similar experiences and not rely on advice from people who have never been in her situation before. So many of these types of decisions are based on your mothers overall health and whether she is willing to continue the fight . . being in treatment for so long can be tiring and maybe she does not want to fight this aggressively. It is hard to say just from your question. So . . in the end it is up to your mother to make the decision.
You might want to ask these questions from others with metastatic breast cancer who have been or are going through similar issues:
Metastatic Breast Cancer Support Group
http://www.mbcnetwork.org/
Advanced Breast Cancer Group
http://www.advancedbc.org/
Metastatic Breast Cancer Information and Support
http://www.bcmets.org/
My vote is to go with her oncologist’s advice. In her condition, I would not do surgery of any kind that is not absolutely necessary. Stick with your oncologist, he knows best.
yea the oncologist is making the right decision.
Best to your mother
I would seek other professional opinions. Maybe another doctor can provide a different point of view which sways your mom’s decision for or against surgery.
Wow I don’t know where you are getting your information from and the way it is stated is not clear. All the cancers as you put it, are likely one cancer in addition to a second breast cancer. Surgery does not cause cancer to spread and I hope she has had the tumors removed from both breasts. I agree with the oncologist, unless it is causing immediate danger you cannot go around chasing mets. It does nothing to slow down the disease and if it responds to chemo the tumor will shrink relieving her symptoms. You can always do surgery later if you have to, but I wouldn’t start with it. Ask the doctors their reasoning behind their recommendations in order to make an informed decision. Their reasoning should make sense to you.