Dose Chemo Treatment have a set number a treatments?

Question

My husband is doing great with his first week of chemo. His largest tumor was at 6cm last time it was messured was 2cm. Now I can't feel it at all anymore. He has 3 cycles left will they do a CAT scan in between? Or will they have to do all 3 no mater if the tummors are gone? Chemo durgs are not somthing to mess around with and I want to make sure if they don't over do it. He only has tescular cancer and they reoved the testie already.

Answer 1

You cannot second guess cancer because it can kill you if you make the wrong decision. Chemotherapy treatment is given as a 'protocol' based on what has been successful in the past for other patients. If he does not take the prescribed treatment he risks having the cancer re-occur and it may not be so easy to treat the second time around.

You might want to look over the Clinical guidelines recommended and followed by oncologists for Testicular cancer:

NCCN: Clinical Guidelines for the Treatment of Testicular Cancer
http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/testicular.pdf

A young man that I know also had testicular cancer about three years ago. They removed his testes too and he had six rounds of high dose chemotherapy. He was convinced that he was cured and up until this past January everything looked fine on his CT. Than he found out that the cancer was back . . in his abdomen. There is no more that the doctors can do for him and he is now under hospice care. He's 23 years old.

Do not underestimate cancer. It is aggressive and deadly and you should treat it as quickly and thoroughly as you can. When your husband is done with chemotherapy please insist that he have a full body PET scan to verify that the cancer is gone. He should follow up with a CT every three months for two years, and if no sign of tumor than six months, than on to one year. Be forever vigilant that the cancer could return with a vengence.

We are so sad about this young man, but unfortunately I know dozens of similar cases where people did not stay vigilant .. and underestimated their cancers ability to return. They paid the ultimate price with their life.

Good luck.

Answer 2

There are over 50 categories of chemo and distinctive cancers respond in any different case to each physique. regrettably, there is not any treatment for many cancers so inspite of chemo and radiation, the main cancers can nevertheless be there. I had radiation, and nevertheless have maximum cancers. with the intention to kill the main cancers cells, they ought to get the radiation or chemo into the cells. sometimes the cells do no longer take up the the chemo or radiation. For me, my cells must be starving of a definite substance, the radiation bonds with that substance and then the cells take up it. besides the shown fact that, if the cells are no longer starving for it, then they gained't take up it and die. it relatively is the reason maximum cancers therapy could be very troublesome. My oncologist instructed me that maximum cancers cells on the microscopic point are the main stubborn to get. because of the fact of this there are a number of re occurrences of the main cancers. i'm sorry approximately your mom's maximum cancers. only save listening to the docs, and being there for her.

Answer 3

Every kind and every stage of cancer has it's own treatment protocol. Your husband's oncologist should have given you this information at or just before his first treatment. You can request it.

My son is 5 yrs old. In July 2005 he was diagnosed with a stage 3, favorable histology,. Wilms Tumor. His protocol was 6 days of radiation, 10 weekly rounds of chemotherapy, 5 biweekly rounds of chemo and 3 rounds every 3 wks.

My husband, in 1997, had an early stage of Hodgekins Disease (sorry I can't remember what stage exactly). His protocol was 6 months of biweekly chemo.

Answer 4

Sorry---we're going through this with 2 of my family members...yes, there is usually a proscribed schedule of chemo, but it depends on the cancer and your husband's prognosis. I would encourage you to ask questions at the hospital. Doctors can be very intimidating, but they get paid well to do what they do. MAKE them help you to understand.
Good luck and God bless...

Answer 5

even though the tumor shrank there are still cancer cells. he will have to finish his treatments then they'll do a ct scan and possibly a pet scan to double check things.

Answer 6

my mother had breast cancer and even though hers shrank they still went on with the extra, I think it was 4 treatments they had planned. I thought it was smart. Like they weren't going to take any risk on it come back.