First of all, welcome to our board. I am really sorry that you had to have found us under the circumstances, but still, glad that we might be of help.
To answer your question, from a personal point of view, yes, I did refuse the radical surgery. In my case, the first surgeon wasn't sure what the chances were of a permanent colostomy - later it turned out that it was doubtful that I would need that. However, I did refuse the LAR which is also termed as radical surgery.
I'm certainly NOT saying that this should be your mothers choice however.
Let me ask you some questions. Has your mother sought the opinion of a board certified colorectal surgeon? I ask because so many general surgeons do the surgery but are not board certified and, I think you'll find that the opinion of most on this board is that with rectal cancer a patient really should be with a board certified colon and rectal surgeon. Here's the link to make sure that the surgeon your mom is considering is board certified.
http://www.abcrs.org/cgi-bin/search.plEven if the surgeon your mom is considering going to is board certified, I would highly suggest getting a second opinion. Your mom isn't far enough out of radiation yet to ascertain how well the treatments have worked. The newer protocol suggests waiting at least 8 weeks before treatment but going out as far as 12. Ten - 12 weeks seems the 'norm'. Honestly, a scan will not tell much about the shrinkage that has taken place. For accurate information, the surgeon really needs to do a scope (not a full colonoscopy) to see what is going on. Scanning now also isn't the ideal time either and FYI - scans have a difficult time discerning between scar tissue/tumor at this timeframe.
My advice to you would be to have your mom get another opinion - scheduled for the beginning of July at the earliest. That would give her some time to heal from the radiation before having someone do a 'look see' on her. This is only my opinion, but if that were my mom, I wouldn't put her through that surgery at age 81. IF the tumor has shrunk significantly, I would talk to the surgeon about an excision - specifically because of her age. Some other questions to consider. How is your mom's overall health?? Is she in good health to recuperate from this type of surgery? How is she emotionally dealing with it? What, if anything, has the doctor said about adjuvant (after surgery) chemo?? If it is recommended, is your mom willing to take it? If so, what types? Some are very hard - others, like Xeloda aren't as bad. I would highly suggest that you and your mom make some appts with the onc to talk about the different scenarios of chemo and then make an appt with another surgeon for a second opinion. Make sure that your mom is comfortable with whatever scenario she decides upon BEFORE she starts the process. While you don't want to just do nothing, you do have some time. Don't feel pressured into setting a date for a surgery that she may/may not be comfortable with before exploring ALL her options.
Good luck.
Jaynee