What is your opinion of taking radiation or chemo-therapy if you are diagnosed with cancer.?

Question

Is it worth the extra months or years to be treated with these things that make a person so sick? Is it worse than cancer?
Tell me your opinion.

Answer 1

That's a personal decision. For me the answer is yes, because my cancer was found in a fairly early stage it's very possible that radiation can benefit me a lot and I could go into remission. I have a 3 year old son to think about, I'm not just living for myself. It would be worth a few months of suffering to live longer.

Answer 2

Definitely depends on the type and stage of the cancer. Each case is different and I would always consider the quality of life that one is going to have vs the quantity. If there is a good chance that the chemo/radiation is going to reduce it and you can live a normal life again..then I would do it. But if it is end stage cancer when it is found and the chemo/radiation seems like a last effort I would seriously consider refusing it and checking into hospice services.

Answer 3

I have seen friends/relatives go through this and I wouldn't do it. It is a miserable existence. And, I don't know about the studies- they are usually done by the drug companies, so they have an interest in showing that it helps. They often talk about how much the tumor shrinks, which is true, but you need to look at whether or not it really extends life. Because there is always collateral damage. Chemo drugs are related to the chemical weapons used in warfare and are highly toxic. Radiation is itself cancer-causing.
The hippocratic oath states "first of all, do no harm". Radiation and chemo do harm. Although some are targeted therapies, there is always damage to non-cancerous cells.
I suggest that you switch to a macrobiotic diet and try to lead a healthy lifestyle (exercise, rest, stress-reduction).
You are doing the right thing by researching this and trying to figure it out yourself instead of just relying on others to look out for you.
Best wishes to you.

Answer 4

when I was dg with cancer in 2003 I was unaware of what chemo did to a person apart from made them 'sick'. I went through 6 months very agressive chemo that made me soooooo ill in every way shape & form, I had a scare the early part of this year & vowed I didn't have the strength to do chemo again, thankfully it was only a scare. would I do it again? yes I would have to for my family, unless I was terminal then I would consider it a waste of what time I had left. I would rather have 3 good months than 6 bad months

Answer 5

Only your doctors can answer for sure, they are the ones with the test results and scans etc. But breast cancers can be aggressive little wotsits. The chemo is shrinking the tumour, but is unlikely to remove it altogether. If it's left in-situ, then if/when it grows again, it will be far far harder to deal with. One of the main reasons for breast + lymph node removal is to get any remaining minute cancer cells. Yes, chemo should have got most of them, but chemo attacks fast-dividing cells (that's how it differentiates bad cells to be killed from good cells = rest of the body. It isn't perfect at doing that, but it's the general principle). If there are small, resting cells, not dividing, chemo won't get them. Surgery is intended to get any affected tissue. Similar principles apply in other cancers, for example in colon cancer, where at least 12 lymph nodes should be removed. Talk to the doctors and ask them your question directly. You won't be the first loving husband to want to spare your wife's pain. They will be able to explain the reasons for the recommendation and also help you and wife to understand the risks and options you have. Remember, no treatment is ever compulsory. Ask for the choices and the likely outcomes of taking / not taking the treatment. Then you can make your decisions. Good luck to you both.

Answer 6

It really depends on the person. My husband is only 33, yes, it's important to me that he lives. Sometimes I wondered about if the pain of survival is worth it, but it is. What would I do without him, with three young children? If he had decided not to live, I would have fought him every inch of the way.
I don't know if I could have gone through what he did and is going through. I think I would have curled up and died. But he is determined to live this thing through. I give everyone that has had chemo/radiation a lot of credit because it takes courage to live through that.

Answer 7

I'd do whatever my oncologist suggested and if it didn't work I would try alternative treatments. Chemo and radiation suck but cancer is by far the worst, at least with the Chemo and radiation you have little more of a chance. Cancer rarely goes away without treatment.

Answer 8

It depends on the success rate of chemo-therapy for the particular type of cancer, the cancer's progression, etc. Often chemotherapy buys decades of additional life, not just months.

Even if the chance of cure is low, often people do want to keep fighting. I have known people who were certain they did not want to take painful, heroic measures to save their life (e.g. open heart surgery), but when the time came to actually make the choice to die now, or so something drastic, they chose to keep fighting.

We all think about death and quality of life in the abstract, but it's very different when it's a "real" decision.

Answer 9

You only get one life, Lottie. If you think yours is still worthwhile, go for the treatments. Newer medications take some of the nausea and fatigue away.

I dealt with kids, but over the years, quite a few of the relatively young parents developed cancer. Sometimes the outcome was good, othertimes not. But I only knew one mother who refused chemo. She left three teen-agers and a good husband/father. I never understood her decision.

Answer 10

It depends on the type and stage of cancer. I mean, if there's even a remote chance that the cancer could go into remission then, yes, it is definately worth it. It also depends on your reasons for wanting the extra time to live...wanting to see your small children grow up a bit, for instance...definately worth it. But if you quality of life is reduced to nothing but constant pain and strain on your family then I wouldn't do it. You have to weigh the risks and the benefits...each case is different.