Terrified of what’s coming

hi my mum is newly diagnosed with terminal cancer, it's a cancer of unknown primary in her spleen and possibly lungs ? I'm sat here thinking should I be looking for more answers ? Oncologist said not doing investigations as not fair on mum and may not find the Primary .. treatment would make mum too poorly, we are now at home just carrying on as normal as we can. Feel a bit like we have just been sent home and that's it. Got Palliative Team involved but still feel very overwhelmed right now. Should I be probing further for investigations or will this have already been decided at MDT ? 

  • Hello and thank you for your post.

    I am very sorry to hear about your mum's situation and I can appreciate the worry and concern you have for her.

    I am not sure if your mum's case has been discussed at the MDT, it may have been because it seems a decision has been made.  This is something you could discuss with the palliative care team as they should have all of your mum's medical details.  

    The treatment for a cancer of unknown primary is usually chemotherapy which can be a tough treatment for some people to have. For people who are already not well and might have other serious health conditions having chemotherapy could do more harm than good.  This might be why your mum is not being prescribed it. However, if your mum wants to talk to the hospital team about this she should  discuss this with them or the palliative care team.

    It might help to read our information about cancer of unknown primary and how it is treated on our website here 

    This must be a difficult time for you so please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Take care,

    Caroline