Hi all,
I wonder if there’s anyone here who has opted for just chemo instead of surgery?
my mum had her first appointment with the oncology team today. She’s been diagnosed with OC 3B (they’re not sure if it’s stage 4 as they can’t see inside the bladder).
they discussed 3 rounds of chemo first, then a scan to see if the cancer has responded. Then possibly surgery, which could involve removal of the bowel. mum isn’t keen on surgery, as it’s invasive and it’s been quite the recovery process for her having her ovaries and tubes removed two weeks ago.
has anyone here opted for just chemo and had good outcomes? Be helpful to know.
Hi TC89
I am sorry to hear that your Mum has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and I understand that this is a difficult time for you both. Treatment decisions can be difficult to make.
My own cancer was endometrial (womb) and my treatment was surgery, then chemotherapy and then 25 sessions of external beam radiotherapy. My treatment was in 2022. The treatment for ovarian and endometrial cancer tends to be similar as it is a close area of the body.
I can understand Mum's reluctance to have surgery and especially as she has already had surgery and only 2 weeks ago. I know for me, if anyone had asked about having more surgery before being fully recovered from the first one- I would have been reluctant.
It sounds like because Mum's cancer has had some spread, that they are suggesting the chemotherapy to treat any remaining cancer and it may possibly be that they are thinking that if the cancer responds to the chemo then it may be easier to remove anything remaining. It does sound like the normal practice to do some chemo and then have a scan part way through to see how it is going. It maybe that once the scan has been done that the treatment is reviewed.
I remember during my treatment that it was very much one step at a time and then reviewing things so perhaps Mum does not have to make a final decision yet. Chemo itself can be a challenging treatment and Mum is still recovering from her surgery and has the chemo to start. It may be an idea for her to focus on one thing at a time at the moment. I know for me if I looked too far ahead- it could be overwhelming. During the chemo Mum should have regular reviews and these may be a good time for her to talk to her team- CNS/Oncologist to bring up any worries and to make sure that any decision she makes is an informed one. I know for me it helped to write down a list of questions before each review and go through them one by one.
I will pop a couple of links here that may be of interest.
Ovarian cancer treatment – surgery, chemo and targeted therapy | Macmillan Cancer Support
Treatment options for newly diagnosed ovarian cancer | Target Ovarian Cancer
I hope this helps a bit.
It can be really hard at times to support someone close to you through a cancer journey and we do have the Support Line available from 8am-8pm everyday, if you feel it would help to talk things through.
I wish your Mum well for her continued recovery from her initial surgery and hope that her chemo goes well. In the meantime we are here if you need us.
Jane
