Postby Lifes2short » Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:33 pm
Tough call. The chemo might shrink the tumors and make them easier to operate on. Since she is young and strong, she will likely tolerate the chemo well.
On the other hand, this is obviously a very aggressive cancer (assuming she had clean post surgical CT last spring). I can certainly understand the desire to get the cancer out as soon as possible. Regional chemo is usually tolerated better than systemic, but it's a bit scary when you think how fast the cancer has metastasized and where else it might be spreading. I think I'd personally opt for systemic chemo - whether before or after surgery.
It sounds as if they can't get all of the cancer during surgery. So delaying chemo just gives the cancer more time to spread during the time she is preparing for and recovering from surgery.
I certainly can't give medical advice, nor do I know the details of your wife's diagnosis. But if it were me, I'd likely opt for the chemo unless they can guarantee that all of the cancer is operable. I had fairly aggressively growing lesions in my liver from April through September. I began Folfox treatments in October and the lesions have all shrunk. It makes sense to me to try to at least try to stop the rapid spread of the cancer first before operating. However, I would certainly recommend that you aggressively watch the progress of the chemo. You should be able to see response after only two or three treatments.
However, if the docs think they have a chance to remove all the cancer surgically and immediately, I think I'd opt for the surgery. Best to get rid of it sooner rather than later.
Good luck. I understand that this is a very scary time for you and your wife. Please keep us posted.