My mother, almost 90 but still living independently at home with my father (just turned 90) was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer at the end of July, having started having occasional symptoms - generally excess mucous causing unpleasantness when eating - from about April...she sought tests towards the end of June when the symptoms started to interfere with her very active life. The prognosis is that it was too awkward for surgery - as she is so fit and healthy for a 90 year old the hospital did discuss surgery but decided against it as the risk was too great. She is heading for round 5 of palliative chemotherapy - Xelox/Capox - of a maximum of 6. So far the treatment has been going as well as can be hoped (as the oncologist says), and certainly she seems surreally normal, which is great - eating well, still having the quality of life she was having before.
However, it has been made clear that although the treatment is going well - and the cancer has shrunk a bit - it is still terminal...with the mean survival rate being 3-4 months after treatment ends. The real question that is bothering my mother (and we will of course ask the oncologist) is whether ending the treatment means that the symptoms will return, and, assuming that is the case, over what time period.
Are you able to give me a feel for this? I have consulted your excellent literature, but couldn't find anything on this...sorry...
Many thanks...
