The choice is Radiotherapy starting straight away or Surgery in approximately 5 months , what are the chances of the cancer continuing to grow in the 5 months . thank you
A very warm welcome to our forum. I see that you have posted this as a question to the nurses. Unfortunately, they are not here at weekends, but will return on Monday, when, I am sure, they will get back to you.
I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I am not a doctor and you do not say what type or stage your cancer is, so it is impossible to answer your question. Even if we had these details, it would still be impossible. Some of us are given a rough estimate, but there are so many different factors involved that this is only a "guesstimate". Timescales will depend on the type of cancer, the stage and grade of the cancer, how aggressive your particular cancer is, your age and general health, etc. The spread of the cancer will depend upon these factors too, but the answer you'll be given is taken from the average results of research, on the people in a similar situation. As we know, average covers a very wide spectrum, so these figures cannot be totally reliable.
It sounds as if your consultant is considering giving you radiotherapy prior to surgery. This is often done to reduce the size of the tumour, prior to surgery. It should therefore slow down the rate of growth or even stop it altogether. The normal protocol is for you to have a scan after your radiotherapy, to check on how effective this treatment has been.
I hope that this helps in the meantime. We are always here for you,
I am sorry to hear about your situation. Decisions about treatment are never easy to make and it is important you get a better understanding about each option to make the right choice for you.
Unfortunately without being involved in your care we cannot say if waiting 5 months will make a difference to your overall outcome. This is something only your own doctor can advise you about. Every cancer is different in it's make up and the way that is grows and behaves, some are very slow growing whereas others are more aggressive and faster growing.
The only other thing I would say is if the doctors are willing for you to wait 5 months for surgery then they must think it is safe to do so.
As I say I think you need to go back and speak with your specialist team again to get these questions answered. It will only be then that you can make a decision about what to choose.
Please get back in touch if you need to or if you prefer give us a call on 0808 800 4040, we're here weekdays 9-5.
