That’s a hard call that only you can make but please bear in mind that those are average estimates and none of us are average. Given a similar choice I opted for the chemo for all sorts of reasons.
Have they said what chemo drugs it would involve and how frequently you'd have them? I'm on a current chemo regime of a 3-week cycle for stage 4 breast cancer, and I have 2 drugs on Week 1, and just the one drug on Week 2 with a rest week on Week 3. I have bad fatigue for 1-2 days on Week 1, but I'm ok the rest of the time so it's manageable although I have friends/family come to stay with me for a few nights on the fatigue days just to help cook and generally look after me.
So from a google, the 'Xel' part refers to Xeloda which is a tablet that typically you would take for 2 weeks then have a week off, but your onc can advise about that. Common side effects can include fatigue and the big one to look out for is hand/foot syndrome so you have to make sure you moisturise your hands and feet a few times a day. I know about this one because it will be my next line of treatment whenever my scans show progression. There's always scope for reducing the dose on this if you have severe fatigue/other side effects (in agreement with your onc).
I can't advise about the other drug, but it's worth exploring this more with your onc and definitely having an appointment to chat about side effects etc. Mine took me through any side effects quite extensively before I then signed on the dotted line to agree to have the treatment. You can always hear what your onc says and then decide what to do.
Also - remember statistics are a) out of date and b) relate to a median which means that half the people will live longer than the 12 months and half less than the 12 months. You've just got to be in the that half that live longer than 12 months! I'm taking that approach with my diagnosis...median says 13 months and I'm already 4 months in and feeling confident (cross fingers, touch wood etc!) of beating the 13 month stat.
