Hi,
I'm desperately looking for some other possible treatment options for my mum. She's 71 and was diagnosed in May this year. She's just been told that after 2 sessions of chemo, it doesn't seem to be working and they've offered weekly paclitaxel or palliative care. The oncologist says the paclitaxel is unlikely to work. My mum's bowel is totally blocked due to tumours on the outside of it but it's apparently too much to have surgery.
We are all obviously devastated by this news, particularly as it seems to have come out of the blue and so quickly after diagnosis. We're going to get a second opinion, probably from the Royal Marsden, and have started the process of requesting mum's medical records as that's what they've said they'll need. I'm thinking it might be good to ask for another opinion from elsewhere as well but I'm not really sure how this works. Can you just approach other hospitals and ask them for a second opinion? We're in Scotland and I imagine most of the hospitals we'd want to get in touch with would be in England. Does going privately speed things up? Obviously time is a massive factor here.
We've also been reading about plasma jet surgery and wondering if that would be an option here. Because of the bowel blockage, mum has lost a lot of weight and is being fed by TPN. She's also not as mobile because she's been hooked up to a drain. I've read that Plasma jet is minimally invasive but I'm not sure if she'd be considered too frail for surgery. She's going to ask her oncologist about this but I'm aware it's not available up here. Would we have to go directly to somewhere that offers it?
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I'd be so grateful for any advice anyone has. I just want to find another alternative to palliative care.
Hi jende and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
It's natural that you want to explore all the possible treatments for your mum but, as I have a different type of cancer, I can't comment on the plasma jet surgery. However, I've searched the group and found these previous posts which mention it for you to have a look through.
As for how to go about getting a second opinion, Macmillan has this information on the topic including the pros and cons of doing so.
Wishing you and your mum all the best
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hi jende, this sounds similar to my mum…. I am too exploring all options. She was diagnosed with cancer in her ovaries October 2021 after months of waiting for an appointment. She had surgery including a full hysterectomy, oophorectomy and removal of her lymph nodes. They could only remove 3 nodes and the others were left in. She had chemo which was Carboplatin and was just as a percaution. On finishing the chemo she ended up with sepsis and whilst on the ward a CT scan showed a mass in the pelvis. She saw her consultant 2 weeks ago after another CT scan and he said there’s nothing they can do for her now apart from offer a 6 month course of paclitaxel chemotherapy. Apparently the cancer is Stage 1C clear cell carcinoma of the ovary. I believe the cancer is in 2 of the lymph nodes but this really has not been explained to mum! They said they can’t operate because it’s too risky apparently as it’s near the arteries. She has been told she’s expected to be here for up to a year.
i have been in touch with some private hospitals for a second opinion.
I hope you find something. I am forever fighting 
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