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Oesophageal cancer

Lauramay18
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My mums been diagnosed with upper oesophageal cancer. We are awaiting a full diagnosis/treatment plan. They have mentioned that it may have spread to the the lymph nodes on her lungs as the CT scan showed some spotting. I have read that if this is the case it isn't cureable and she would have palliative care but when I spoke to McMillan they said chemotherapy killed cancer wherever it was. They haven't confirmed a treatment plan but there is talks of surgery followed by radiotherapy. Can anyone shed light on this or share their experiences? Is it possible to beat at this stage 

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    Hi LauraMay,

    If you click on my username it will take you to my biography which is mainly about my OC experience.

    Try not to get too stressed about the vocabulary used. Some cancers are incurable, but so is the common cold. Palliative care just means treatment to reduce the symptoms. End of life care is a form of palliative care but not the only one. Just as cows are animals but not all animals are cows.

    This may seem trite but so many people hear the words untreatable and palliative, panic and translate this as terminal. Both words were used when I was diagnosed with OC back in late 2013. The 5 year survival rates for late stage OC have improved significantly in the past ten years. They're still scary but the odds of survival get better every year.

    Good luck

    Dave

  • Hello and thanks for your post,

    I am sorry to hear about your mum and I can understand how unsettling it must be for your family.

    The aim of any treatment will be to control the cancer rather then cure it but it is really only her own doctors who will be able to tell you any more.

    Before any treatment is decided the doctors need to assess the general health of the patient and whether the cancer has spread elsewhere in deciding what treatment to offer a patient.

    They also need to assess a patients fitness in regards to having chemotherapy and whether she would cope with the side effects.

    Once she has had treatment the doctors need to assess the response with scans and blood tests to see how she has responded.

    We have some information on our website which describes how decisions are made which you can see here

    Unfortunately reaching any decisions about the best treatment takes time and once all the tests have been done then her case will be discussed at a large meeting where all the different doctors involved in her care will decide her specific treatment. Every case is treated very individually.

    They will discuss this all with your mum. If your mum has been given a Special Cancer Nurse then do encourage her to chat this through with them.

    You may find it more helpful to also ring and chat to one of the helpline nurses. We are here from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Freephone 0808 800 4040.

    All the Best,

    Catherine

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