June 2021
Hi all, my 75 year old mum was diagnosed with stage 3c bowel cancer back in Feb this year. She had surgery to remove the cancer, then she was recommended chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment as they found a few lymph nodes that had cancer when she had her surgery. After seeing her oncologist they felt she was too frail to do chemo as the risks outweighed the benefits. We did seek a second opinion for peace of mind, and he also felt she was too frail for chemo. It was also my mums decision to not opt for chemotherapy. So we are doing to scans every 3 months to just observe. I suppose I am just wondering the survival rate without her having treatment and the odds of the cancer recurring. Thanks so much
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April 2021
Thanks so much for replying, I appreciate you taking the time. I will definitely navigate the site to see if I can read others’ experiences that mirror my mums diagnosis and our experience as a family alongside her. We are definitely making sure that she stays positive especially for her own mental health - that also means staying active as both Oncologists really focused on how remaining active helps her whole well being as well as to fight cancer. She had a meningioma 7 years ago which really affected her whole well being so something like a cancer diagnosis would be even more worrisome for her (and of course us). The real take away from her diagnosis is that we can’t let the worries of the future destroy the present.
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April 2021
1 Kudo
Hi, I am new to the forum. My mum has recently been diagnosed with stage3c bowel cancer. She had surgery in mid February and they were able to remove the cancer near her sigmoid, however after surgery were told that the cancer was quite extensive as it had gone through all of her bowel walls. The Surgeon was able to remove about 20 lymphnodes as well, and 4 of them were cancerous. We were sent to see an Oncologist to discuss chemotherapy treatment for her, however due to her age (she is 75) and her condition (she is very frail, weighing at 41kg) the Oncologist felt that the side effects of chemo would outweigh the benefits for her. We did seek a second opinion from another Oncologist and he felt the same way re: chemotherapy. So we have decided to go ahead with a "wait and watch" option where she will have a CT scan and blood test every 3 months to check for recurrence. The Oncologist also suggested that my mum (and dad) see a Psychologist as her worries are very pervasive - however I am finding it very hard to convince them. I suppose I am just wondering if anyone is going through the same thing? That is, been diagnosed with stage 3 and not undergoing chemo due to their health. It is very scary as we essentially are waiting for the cancer to return - we just don't know when. Any advice or insight would be wonderful, and much appreciated. Thank you 🙂
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