Chemo withdrawn early

My Dad, 63 y o, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the hip and metasteses in both lungs at the end of September. It came as a huge shock as he has always been very healthy and active even working 6/7 days a week up until 2 days before his diagnosis. 

Osteosarcoma is sucha rare, primary bone cancer and doctors really don't know too much about it. It is more common in young children, teenagers, etc and even then mostly occurs in the femur bone so my dad is pretty much one in a million which I knind of knew already anyway. 

Anyway his pain has steadily got worse and it's horrible to see him suffering. He had his first chemo IV on the 15th October with promises that this would happen 3 weekly at a hospital in London. His first chemo went better than anyone could have expected. He didn't have any nasty side effects and seemed to breeze through it despite the pain and his low mood. The pain did not seem to be easing and he was becoming less and less mobile as the days passed.

5th November came time for his next Chemo which my brother was attending with him. Unfortunately he was admitted to a hospital in London that night with no chemo due to s suspected blood clot in his groin (his bad leg). We all breathed a huge sigh of relief as silly as that sounds gratful that it was a blood clot and not a tumour, etc. 

Wednesday he had an MRI to check on things and Friday the Professor came to tell him that chemotherapy would be stopped as it has caused a tumor thrombosis..

That's where we are. I don't understand any of it. I just know that I need my Dad well again, I need him back, we all do. The pain needs to go away. We're holding out for radio but his leg is still very swollen and has caused ulcers to form in the lower part of his leg and foot. 

Please can anyone offer me any advice/ comfort. Is chemo something that will be reconsidered?

  • I'm so sorry you find yourself in such a horrible situation regarding your Dad but these questions can only be answered by someone in control of Dad's treatments . We are all struggling with cancer and problems caused by chemo,  each person reacts differently.  A moderator on this site may  help more but in the meantime get Dad's permission to speak to his Mc Millan nurse and she will tell you more, she will have Dad's notes.  Best wishes,  Carol 

  • Hi srudd,

    So sorry you've found yourself on here and about your dad's diagnosis.

    I believe that while killing cancer cells chemotherapy can cause cells to release substances that cause more coagulation (clotting) so I can understand why they have had to stop your dad's chemo temporarily.

    As Caz says, only your dad's care team can tell you what is going to happen next, whether more chemo is an option.  It may be that their experience shows once someone is susceptible to thrombosis chemo continues to be dangerous (as I say, I don't know, just posing a theoretical), or it could be their experience that once the thrombosis is dealt with it remains beneficial to try and continue with the chemo.

    It will be for your dad to speak to his care team, or he could phone Cancer Research nurses to see what their experience has been of this kind of situation.

    Either way, hope your dad gets over the thrombosis very soon and that some kind of treatment for the cancer goes ahead.

    Take care,

    LJx