“My wife had chemo therapy and still cancer is growing in another area? ”
The dr recommends radiation therapy and chemo combined. She has received chemotherapy for 6 months.
Female | 75 years old
Complaint duration: 1 year
2 Answers
Hello,
You are asking questions that are reasonable, but do not provide enough information that is necessary to give a specific answer.
The type of cancer that your wife experienced is unclear. I also am confused about her initial treatment.
Cancer, especially breast or colon cancer generally require surgical removal. In these situations courses of chemotherapy and or radiation have been shown to decrease the risk of the cancer recurring. If your wife suffered from breast or colon cancer, the risk of cancer recurrence is dependent on the findings at the time of surgery. Post operatively a course of chemotherapy has been shown to decrease the chances of a distant recurrence. Following this “adjuvant” therapy, it may be advisable to give a course of local radiation with or without chemotherapy to decrease the chances of a local recurrence. It would be best to ask these questions of her oncologist to better understand the reason for the recommendation.
The other reason that chemotherapy is administered is in patients who have cancers that have already spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy and or radiation with or without chemotherapy can be recommended to control or treat these lesions. It isn’t clear from your question which group your wife falls into. Again, it is best to ask her doctor about the reasons for the recommendations.
Good luck.
You are asking questions that are reasonable, but do not provide enough information that is necessary to give a specific answer.
The type of cancer that your wife experienced is unclear. I also am confused about her initial treatment.
Cancer, especially breast or colon cancer generally require surgical removal. In these situations courses of chemotherapy and or radiation have been shown to decrease the risk of the cancer recurring. If your wife suffered from breast or colon cancer, the risk of cancer recurrence is dependent on the findings at the time of surgery. Post operatively a course of chemotherapy has been shown to decrease the chances of a distant recurrence. Following this “adjuvant” therapy, it may be advisable to give a course of local radiation with or without chemotherapy to decrease the chances of a local recurrence. It would be best to ask these questions of her oncologist to better understand the reason for the recommendation.
The other reason that chemotherapy is administered is in patients who have cancers that have already spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy and or radiation with or without chemotherapy can be recommended to control or treat these lesions. It isn’t clear from your question which group your wife falls into. Again, it is best to ask her doctor about the reasons for the recommendations.
Good luck.
Your wife’s cancer either does not respond to the chemotherapy she receives at present or her tumor is too big for chemotherapy to work. The way she was recommended to have radiation therapy to relieve symptoms or prevent complications from cancer. Please ask her medical oncologist to explain to you the reasons.
