I had my second opinion with an Oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. The doctor I saw made it clear that her ultimate goal with cancer treatment is cancer suppression for as long as possible and secondly quality of life. She discussed the options with this in mind:
- Continuing with the current regimen - Camptosar every 3 weeks with weekly Erbitux
- Camptosar every 3 weeks with Erbitux every 2 weeks, or
- Stopping chemotherapy
She stated, regarding all the above options, that the cancer would return at some point. She said that the cancer would become resistant to the chemotherapy and that a change in medications would likely be necessary in the future. Speaking specifically about the last option, she quoted a study where cancer patients either continued chemotherapy (of some form) or stopped chemotherapy completely. The study was said to show that the cancer recurred in all patients and the quality of life in the patients that who stopped the chemotherapy was worse than that in those who chose to continue chemotherapy, due to stressing over the cancer returning. What I am more interested in is whether this 'worrying' outweighed the fact that there were no chemotherapy side effects, the time required to go to therapy and doctor's appointments, or lost time at work (if working). I also think that the improved / increased quality time spent with family and friends should be taken into account.
I did ask about the possibility of resection of the persistent liver lesion seen on repeated CT scans. She was not sure if resection or ablation was possible, but would discuss my case with surgeons. This was a step in the right direction despite the fact the I really didn't get the answer I had hoped for - being able to stop chemotherapy with a low or minimal likelihood of cancer recurrence.
To be continued ...
