Dad had chemotherapy & surgery for Oesophageal cancer
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1 posts since
13 Sep 2020
Hi, I’m hoping somebody can give me some kind of reassurance, My Dad was diagnosed in February with stage 2 oesophageal cancer, his treatment plan was 4 lots of chemotherapy over 8 weeks then surgery then another 4 lots of chemotherapy for the mopping up as the doctor put it!
well Dad managed 3 lots of chemo he didn’t get the 4th as a problem occurred with his heart basically he has an irregular heartbeat, they didn’t give him the 4th lot chemo.
He had surgery in June but when they actually went in they quickly realised it has spread to his stomach so he also had to have his whole stomach removed, it’s been 12 weeks since his surgery and he is doing ok, I say ok he does struggle with food which causes him to have a lot of acid reflux. He is also having something called a vagal vascal attacks this is where his blood pressure drops. It’s so heartbreaking still to see him suffering after everything he’s been through but last week the doctor has given him an 85% chance cancer coming back!
That news has really hit him and the family so hard an I for one am struggling with the information, but really what does this mean? Where do the persentages come from? How do I find positivity in something that just feels like this awful thing can come back I’m so scared for my Dad, he’s my best friend and I’m frightened of losing him.
222 posts since
14 Feb 2011
Hello,
Thank you for posting a question. I am sorry to learn about your dad’s situation this must be very difficult for you all. I can only imagine how much of blow it must have been to learn that there was quite a high risk of his cancer coming back.
To be honest, I don’t know what specific information your dad’s specialist used when they told him that there is an 85% chance of a recurrence. But usually when a specialist gives a person this type of information they take into account several factor and it can be very complicated. For example, the stage of the cancer, response to any treatment given and the person’s general health are considered. Another important factor that can have an impact on how likely it is that a cancer will come back is what doctors call the resection margin. When the tissue that has been removed is looked at in the laboratory, If there is a border of healthy tissue around the cancer that has been removed (this is called R0), the cancer is less likely to come back. Sometimes, the specialist will also use their experience of treating people in a similar situation as well. But the bulk of the evidence that is used to try to work out what is most likely to happen to an individual person comes from national statistics and various studies.
I would like to be able to give you some information to help you feel more positive, but it is difficult as I don’t know the full details of your dad’s medical history. But it may be helpful to remember that while studies and statistics are useful, they are based on many people and cannot say with any accuracy what will happen to an individual person. Some people do better than doctors expect. Also, the gathering and publishing of cancer statistics takes time, so by the time that information is published it is often a few years behind. So, they may not always exactly reflect the current situation.
Also, I think that given the news that your family has just received it must be difficult to feel positive. Living with uncertainty is at best very difficult and it can sometimes seem rather overwhelming. But it is by no means certain that his cancer will come back. If it does, I don’t know what this would mean for your dad, as it depends on the individual situation. It might be possible for him to have further treatment
Please get back to us if you have any other questions. 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 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.
Kind Regards,
Jean
Dad had chemotherapy & surgery for Oesophageal cancer
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