Have early stage vulva cancer. Surgeon has told me over the phone that clitoris will have to be removed. Can I refuse?Have not been examined by anyone. Just had biopsy done.
I am very sorry to hear about your situation. I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you.
It is difficult to advise you about refusing treatment without knowing why you have reached your decision. I am not sure whether you are worried about the side effects, or if you have concerns about the doctors treating you.
The surgeon should talk you through thesurgery.This gives you a chance to ask questions. If you are happy to proceed then you will be asked to sign a consent form.If you are sure you do not want your clitoris removed then it should be mentioned on the consent form.
If you are unsure and need more time, then do talk to your doctors or the nurses looking after you. You must have time to process all the information you have been given. It may be helpful to have a further appointment to talk things through or ask for a second opinion if that is something that you want to consider.
Decisions about how to treat a person with cancer are made collectively at a large meeting called an MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team) meeting, where all the doctors discuss the results of all your tests and decide how best to treat you.
If you decide to still refuse treatment then I am sure that the doctors will respect your decision and act accordingly.
I hope you find this information helpful in guiding your decision-making process. The Eve Appeal, the UK gynaecological cancers charity, may also be useful to you at this time.
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 9 am till 5 pm, Monday to Friday.
Thank you for your response. The problem seems to be that nothing has been discussed with me. I have had no scans, no face to face meetings. My notes at my GPs say it is a small lesion caught early. I was coming to terms with having a smallish op to remove this but was not prepared to be told that my clitoris would be removed. I am in bits. My lovely man and I have a very close and loving relationship and at 75 I am not willing to lose this.
