Cancer Survivors Network

Hello,

I wanted to ask for help again.

My mother is 87 years old and has stage 4 esophageal cancer (the cancer has spread near her lungs and tranchea).

She received chemotherapy for over a year.

Over the past year and a half, she was given a few PET Scans. Each of the PET Scans showed that the cancer was not spreading, and one of the PET Scans showed that the cancer had shrunk slightly.

Since the chemo was making her very ill, she decided to stop chemo.

However, she underwent 3 weeks of radiation since she was having problems swallowing.

She had another PET Scan done on May 30 to assess the effect of the radiation.

By the time this PET Scan was done, it had been exactly 3 months and 22 days that she had stopped chemo. Yet, thank God, the PET Scan showed that the cancer outside the esophagus had not spread any further.

We are therefore hoping and praying that the cancer has not spread outside the esophagus. We are hoping that the several PET Scans she had over the past year that showed that portions outside her esophagus lit up was due to infections and inflammation rather than cancer. (I read on the internet that false positives are possible).

At this time, it’s been 4 months and 45 days that she stopped chemo and, although her health isn’t any better, it also isn’t any worse. That also gives me hope that maybe the cancer has not really spread.

Is it possible that the cancer has not actually spread outside the esophagus? Or am I just dreaming?

I would greatly appreciate hearing any thoughts or advice.

Thank you very much for your kind assistance.

Tom