Is chemo worth it

Hi mrsjinty

welcome to the community, we’re a friendly bunch and there is usually someone around who can offer advice or failing that just a sympathetic ear.  You’ve certainly had a rough time of it. I’m sorry I can’t offer you any advice on this as my mums PC wasn’t operable. She surprisingly to us did have palliative chemo.  We all had preconceived ideas about chemo being horrific, but my mum sailed through with only some mild side effects she had Gemcetibine which is more mild. 

For medical questions the nurses on the Macmillan helpline are good as are the ones on PCUK perhaps you could give them a call and talk through your concerns.  

I’m sure someone will be along soon that has been in your situation. Keep posting here it’s a great place to get things off your chest. 

Good luck to you x

Hello mrsJinty

Just adding words of welcome to what Splodge has said. Though no one wants to be here.

The reason that I am here is that my husband had pancreatic cancer. His was resectable. I haven’t medical knowledge, of course, but I understand that unless there is no lymph node involvement and good margins adjuvant chemo will be offered.

i don’t know the answer to your question and I don’t think anyone does. I have had breast cancer myself and at that time I drew a conclusion that just because a treatment exists you don’t have to take it.

Some people will say you have to try anything to ‘fight’ cancer but I think that each person needs to make that decision for themself.

We are a friendly bunch here so please post as much as you like.

Squeaky

Hello and welcome - not that you really want to be here but everyone is lovely and we all support each other. I have no medical expertise but have been through the experience so can do a bit of hand-holding.

i was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2017 (after nine months of investigations - long story). Had my Whipple in the April, recovered remarkably well with no complications and did six months of adjuvant chemo from June 2017. Although my tumour was T3, it hadn’t spread and I had no lymph node involvement (and they took out 35 of them). I did GemCap and it was fine. The fatigue was a bit of a pain and I did have one bout of hand/foot syndrome but that was quickly sorted by my medical team. No sickness or major hair loss although it was starting to come out a bit at the end but it soon thickened up once I stopped the chemo.

i did the chemo even though I didn’t have to simply as extra insurance against recurrence. I know there are no guarantees the cancer won’t come back but I just thought I’d do everything I could - think I’d kick myself if I hadn’t done the chemo and it came back. The choice is yours really. I have no regrets at all and I tolerated it really well on the whole. It was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be. Everyone’s different of course. I’ve been back at work since January and feel really good. Have just had a chemo induced cataract removed yesterday but that was an absolute doddle and my eye is better than it ever was. I can see clearly out of it now after being short-sighted most of my life!

Thanks everyone for your replies. I am due to see the oncologist next week but having read in another thread that you can’t have chemo if there was lymph node involvement (I had two) I am now thinking it will be palliative if offered at all. I’m very thin having been very ill with the liver abscess for weeks. Am I right?  Thanks again. 

Not sure what I’m doing here but hopefully this will get posted. Thank you for taking the trouble to reply. Someone replied that unless there were clear margins and no lymph node involvement chemo was an option but otherwise not. I see the oncologist next week so am now expecting maybe palliative care? Is this right?

Hiya. You should be offered chemo whether you have lymph node involvement or not. Even if you have metastasis (depending on where or what it is) your team will have a plan for you. Of course, it’s up to you what treatment you choose, even no treatment. Ask lots of questions and make a decision based on what you feel is right for you.

Hi

Sorry just confirm what I wrote rather clumsily earlier.

What I was trying to say that adjuvant chemo is usually offered. I have heard of occasions where if there is no lymph node involvement that chemo may not be necessary. So with lymph node involvement I am sure you will be offered chemo.

Squeaky

Hi, Mrsjinty,

Hope that you now have seen your oncologists, and have some more information to make a decision with. My husband has had one cycle of gemcitabine, followed by radiotherapy, having been told originally that he was terminal 18 months ago. His cancer is no longer visible, and he has now been offered surgery, which we are thinking about. Prognosis now another 2 years. 

Gemcitabine did not cause any problems, apart from low platelets. 

Wishing you well, Tilly xx

It’s so nice to see and hear positive experiences. My mums had her whipple in Feb and has had her second round of chemo last week. Which she’s finding tough. She had lymphonodes removed one with cancer in. (I’m not really sure What that means to be honest nobody seems to spend a lot of time telling you much we’ve found) so I don’t want to pressure my mum with questions and keep her mind off this. So any positive experiences welcome! Love and thoughts with all x