Treatment verses no treatment.

chipdog3

I am writing in regards to my mom. She is 66 and was diagnosed with IDC 3 weeks ago. We did all the tests and I think she was planning on treating the breast cancer. During the CT they found a spot on her lung. She had a PET scan  and a lung biopsy. They feel that the cancer is mets breast cancer. We saw a lung surgeon and because of my mothers other breathing issues. COPD and sleep apnea and weight that she would not recover from the surgery. Now she doesn't want to have the breast surgery either because she feels that if she is not fit for one than she is not fit for the other. She also feels it is not worth it if it is already spreading. She is afraid of chemo and radiation so is going to tell the family doc on tuesday that she is not going to treat. The onc is not helpful at all so far all the suggestions have been surgical with no other treatment plans at all. I asked her to see a different onc but she is tired of running from doc to doc. Any idea of how long she has without any treatment. My stepfather had colon rectal cancer had surgery and 18 months later was diagnosed with lung mets. Decided not to treat and eventually died of lung cancer 8 months later. This was 3 years ago almost to the day my mom was diagnosed. They both were living us and we had hospice for his last 3 weeks. I think my mom misses him even though she lives with us, she seems lonely. I will do whatever plan she wants to take but do not want to be taken by surprise. I hope I am ready to go through all this again. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I am her 40 year old daughter, Sandy

badboob67

Sandy,

First of all, let me tell you I am so sorry for what your family is going through. Secondly, there are options for your mom other than surgery. Depending on the pathology of her tumor (estrogen- and progesterone-receptors and her2neu receptors), she could be a candidate for treatments that suppress hormones or work against her2neu. They are not chemo and, although they do have side effects, are not as rigorous as chemo. There are newer radiation techniques that can concentrate beams to the affected area--sort of surgery without cutting. It is sort of unusual that an oncologist would not be providing options other than surgical in a case of metastatic cancer; many oncologists believe that surgery of the primary tumor is not necessary once the "horse is out of the barn". I understand you when you say your mom isn't interested in seeking out another oncologist. There are ways to get a second opinion at some of the bigger cancer centers like Sloan-Kettering, Dana-Farber, and Johns Hopkins where you need only send slides and records and they will review your mom's case and recommend a treatment. Your mom is in a good position for this kind of 2nd opinion because most will refuse to do so once she has begun treatment.

You ask the question about life expectancy if she forgoes treatment. It is hard to say, but I imagine the doctors would be suggesting months rather than years with metastatic disease in the soft tissues (lungs). One spot on your mom's lung is VERY treatable if she decides to do so. Chemo certainly is no picnic, but I can tell you that the chemos used for breast cancer are somewhat less difficult to take than those for lung cancer. Radiation side effects vary, depending on the location, number of treatments, and dosage of the treatments.

You are most welcome to come visit us in the "recurrence and metastatic disease" section of the boards. There are lots of us there with plenty of experiences to share. I am almost 41 years old. I was diagnosed with extensive bone mets at the same time as the original breast cancer diagnosis when I was 38 years old. I have not yet done traditional, IV chemo. I do take XELODA which is a form of chemo in a pill. There are ladies who visit the mets section of the boards who have experience with lung mets and could explain to you much better what options exist for your mom if she decides to try.

My heart and prayers go out to you,

(((HUGS))))
Diane