First 3 sessions of FLOT saw me unable to get up and walk more than a dozen paces without breathlessness. Reports to the hospital, hotline, and everyone I met with and was generally told "not a side effect". Just before 4th session I was called by oncologist to be told they were worried they had damaged my lungs which would scrap chances of surgery. Had a CT scan before the 4th session, all good, dose was dialed down a bit and little side affects for the 4th session.
Today oncologist called me to tell me that the CT scan showed little or no change in the size of the tumour (12cm@31cm). I can feel that swallowing is easy compared to before chemo where it was mildly problematic.
They're scheduling me for another colonoscopy and a laprascopy before surgery.
What I was wondering is, what happens to chemo after surgery - if FLOT is shown to have little affect on my cancer, the "post surgery mop up chemo" is in danger of being useless?
edit - I should clarify, I have no intention of avoiding chemo on the contrary, I've always said throw as much chemo at me as possible if it increases survivability. I'm just concerned they might just put me on standard FLOT again for mop up without looking at other options and was wondering if others had been in similar situation.
Sorry to hear about what you have being going through and really have no experience here at all. Most of all I suspect this is likely to be a conversation you will need to have with your oncology team.
My gut feeling though is that they would not give you chemotherapy unless there was a reasonable chance of it having some benefit. This is perhaps something of a hidden benefit in the NHS that there is no financial incentive to give treatment, indeed the cost of most chemotherapy drugs they gave my wife would have been eyewatering if we had to pay for them!
Don't envy you the pleasure of the colonoscopy and laprascopy though.
<<hugs>>
Steve
