"Chemo "therapy", yeah, right" Topic

My daughter-in-law, a young mother of two natural and one adopted children, had cancer years ago and has been "cancer free" (heh! nobody is that!) for c. half a dozen years, until now. She went in and got tests and her liver is "covered in tumors". The doctors are "perplexed". It is inoperable and only chemo can be tried.

My nephew died in seven months while undergoing FOUR different concoctions of chemo; his liver was overwhelmed with "blue cell" cancer, whatever the hell that is.

I expect my daughter-in-law to be dead and gone within that time, probably much less, since her liver is already "covered"; whereas my nephew's liver only had a few "blue spots" when they started work on him……………………………

Cancer sucks. No question. And I'm sorry you're going through this.

While every cancer and every patient is different, I'm getting first-hand accounts from a friend who is currently undergoing chemo – with very successful results. I personally know other survivors who've gone through it.

My point is not that this isn't serious and that chemo is not a life-changing event. But rather, this isn't an automatic death sentence and your daughter-in-law will be relying on the support and positive vibes (in whatever form they may be) of friends and family to get through this.

Wyatt

As Wyatt said each cancer is different and treatments are different too. My wife was diagnosed with cancer 18 years ago. She went through three chemo treatments and 21 radiation treatments. She has been cancer free.

You daughter needs support and love at this time as do your son and their children.

Terry

I am so sorry to hear that. I can't even imagine what you must be going through yet again.

I never knew there were so many different types of cancers and for each one there seems to be specific "concoctions" to treat them, as well as other measures to address each individual situation.

Also, success rates keep improving with some cancers. Her chances might be better now than what your family faced a few years back.

Just know that you could always get a second opinion if the procedures they suggested didn't sound very convincing.

You and yours will be in our thoughts and prayers. I do hope that things don't end up being as bleak as they look right now.

Dan

It's easy to say, but harder to do. You have to think positive. Every patient is different and responds differently to treatment. Being positive will help your daughter in law.

There have been huge advances in the last few years in cancer treatment. New chemo treatments are being developed that are so much better than what used to be available.

My 17 year old daughter was diagnosed with cancer last year. She underwent chemo and is now fine. Her consultant is confident that the disease will not return.

We were very fortunate that she was treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, one of the world's foremost centres for cancer treatment and research. I mention this because I had the opportunity to speak to many of the staff, and have learnt that the latest advances are amazing. So be positive…

Best wishes to your daughter for the most positive of
outcomes.

My uncle lived for over 2 years after being diagnosed with stage 4 liver and lung cancer. Every day your daughter in law has with her kids is a bonus.

Sickness in the younger generation is particularly frustrating. We are built to protect the young and weak and it is especially maddening when we cannot.

I do hope that she gets the best result possible

My best wishes to your family for a positive and swift treatment. It will be tough but I know people who have been successful.

Very much depends on the cancer and at what stage it is detected.

My mother at 90 was diagnosed with stage IV Colon cancer. Tumor was near the rectum and it was decided not to operate due to her age and the high risks of surgery and the inconvenience at her age of a colostomy. She got 2 months or radiation treatment on the tumor and then went on chemo. Again at her age they went with a maintenance level of treatment due to the stresses that an attempt to cure her would have created.

In the event she lasted 2-1/2 years even on the lower level of treatments. My belief is that she would have lasted somewhat longer if there had not been a break (and then reduction in dosage) in the original regimen that her oncologist had prescribed. Ultimately the cancer reached her brain and it was a matter of a month or so.

Personally, I underwent four sessions of chemotherapy for testicular (after the removal of one testicle as the tumor was so advanced) in 1987-8. Not a pleasant experience, but I am still here 40 years later.

Testicular of course is one of the most readily and successfully treated of the cancers and I lucked out in being diagnosed about a year after the approval of the treatment regimen that is still used today.

At any rate, my best wishes and prayers for her and the rest of the family.

P.S. When my mother was diagnosed the cancer had already spread to her liver. Even with the reduced dosages the tumors there were significantly reduced. A more aggressive treatment might well have eliminated them for her.

I'm sorry to hear this, but I hope the treatment works well for her. Is she on a list for a transplant? If so, I hope she soon receives one (with all sympathy for the donor's family, of course) and that one way or another, she is soon restored to good health.

You can't do transplants when they don't know where the cancer is coming from. The new liver would just get the cancer too. That's what happened to my nephew: the "blue cell" was originating elsewhere. They never did find out where the cancer was coming from.

I don't know if my daughter-in-law's cancer is like that. I only know that she said, that they said, operations are not an option, only chemo.

My son got to come home from Qatar, where he was based. He got home last Saturday night.

Sorry to hear all this. I hope the best for your daughter-in-law and your family.

If the cancer is local to the liver. They'll use chemo to destroy and/or shrink the tumours. If the cancer responds to chemo then if any tumours are left. They might remove it with surgery.

It's too soon to be doom and gloom. But cancer in the liver is never a good thing.

But liver cancer is one of the cancers they have started to get better results with in the last few years.

Father of wife's best friend got liver cancer (alcohol abuse) He thought he had months left. But new experimental treatment has made him cancer free.

I just learned last Saturday that my brother-in-law's cancer has started to return after less than two years of being "cancer free".

As for our daughter-in-law, she's been on chemo for two weeks. Too early to tell anything. The fact that the cancers are spread around tells me that the liver cancer is not localized.

I'm sorry to hear that. My wife went through the HELL of chemo followed by radiation, and I would not wish it on anyone. But it worked for her: she survived, the only family member to do so – in fact her sister died on the day of my wife's first chemo infusion. She now helps run the support group for those in treatment as well as survivors,giving hope and positivity in their fight.

Not everyone makes it, you make a friend then lose them (it's a lot like being in the military), but distressing as that is, she keeps going as a way of payback for the support she received during her treatment. One thing we have learned is not all cancers or treatments are the same and different patients will respond (or not) to the same treatments differently, it's very much a mystery. But we do know that inner strength and positive waves from everyone around you is a great help in the fight. If you don't mind, we will put your family on our prayer list. That's everyone, because the carers and loved ones often need it most.

Best wishes
Stuart

I can't tell if this is in any way a potential positive, but the docs will not tell my daughter-in-law how long she has if the chemo she's on doesn't work. All she wanted was an estimate of shortest-longest, given how much cancer they know that she has. They refuse to say. This means, to me, that the docs don't really know what they are dealing with.