Refusing Treatment For Cancer.

[Jennykenny]

A friend (late seventies) has just told me that she has decided not to continue with her treatment of radiography for breast cancer, because it was so awful.
I think she has absolutely done the right thing for her, and I am trying to support her as best as I can.
What would be helpful is if I could come across any articles online about people in similar situations. What they did to help themselves etc.
I’ve searched the Internet so far without success, but hopefully some of you out there will have further knowledge of this situation.
If possible, articles written in British newspapers/magazines (rather than from the US), and within the past ten years or so.
Many thanks. This would be most helpful.

[Maydup]

You could research cannabis oil. I have no experience to share but read plenty recently about the possible benefits.

[Jennykenny]

And thank you Rowan.

[Jennykenny]

Maydup.
Good thinking.

[LadyCG]

Okay .. JK, the purpose of radiotherapy in the adjuvant (curative) setting is invariably to prevent local recurrence. In the palliative setting it is about disease control.

There are different types of breast cancer, for which different management is indicated. If, for example, your friend had a tiny DCIS, it could be managed by WLE (wide local incision) only, and chemo / radio would unlikely be indicated.

If your friend had a triple negative cancer (oestrogen / progesterone receptor negative, HER2 negative disease) then all forms of targeted endocrine therapies would be redundant and chemotherapy / radiotherapy would be her only options at controlling disease or preventing its recurrence. Ergo, radiotherapy would be invaluable in such a case.

If I knew more, I could give you more specific, detailed information.

Do you know how advanced your friend's disease is? Has she been given a prognosis? Did she have surgery to remove the cancer? Has she had any further tests such as Oncotype DX?

[hereIam]

Jennykenny - thinking of your friend. I knew someone once who gave up on treatment, she had a lot of support. I wish the same for your dear friend x

[Maydup]

Whatever the answers are to your questions Lady CG, I think the friend has made her decision not to continue with the treatment.

[anneasquith]

Might be useful for some abers to read Jenny's post at 15.00

[LadyCG]

^^ Ah, the intelligensia has arrived.

[rowanwitch]

No matter how effective a treatment could be there is always the need to balance treatment and it's effect on quality of life. Even in a potentially curative situation once the patient has all the information it must be their choice

[jennyjoan]

A friend of mine had bowel cancer and after a short time of chemotherapy - she refused. She is still here after 10 years. Sorry JK - can't offer you much more than that.

[LadyCG]

That would appear to be the case, Maydup, but does not necessarily mean the cancer would be terminal an JK appears to be seeking reassurance here.

[Peter Pedant]

// A friend of mine had bowel cancer and after a short time of chemotherapy - she refused.//
different circs - I was offered CT after ca colon and said - it doesnt work does it ? and he said well the difference in survival is less than 5%. ( 20 y ago)

People DO find radiotherapy too much - I was tired for about a year after adjuvant RT for ca colon ( 40 Gy it was all so long ago ) and then had another 40 to my orbit for a relapsed lymphoma 2016.
Christie said - "blimey we have your notes from 1999 - we dont normally do THAT you know!" -
and I asked the prof of crazy recurrences why I was so little tired the second time round
and HE said

oh it is dose - AND the volume of tissue that you are irradiating.....

Yeah the orbital secondary - you wear an RT mask like the prisoner in the iron mask and they nail your head to the floor