Bladder Cancer at 85 - Risks

JS1957

My Mom was diaghosed with T2B Muscle invasive Bladder cancer.  She had a portion of tumor removed before Christmas but it was deep into the muscle.  Went yesterday to surgeon and he did cystoscopy and showed me large tumor stuck to lining into muscle.  We are faced with this:  Mom had Breast cancer 12 years ago and had a VERY rough time with Chemo and is strictly against Chemo and Radiation.  Doc offers this:  Chemo & Radiation then Bladder removal.  5 hr operation and he feels "You should do ok with surgery".  He can also do just the removal, no Chemo but is not keen on that.  Or she can live with the way things are and without a crystal ball, no one knows mortality.

She is getting dimentia and sometimes has to ask me what type of cancer she has!

I am concerned that she may go through a very rough thing for a 85 year old.  Anyone have any experiences?  Really struggling with this.  I want to give her a chance but not make her suffer for nothing!

u4art

tough decisions

I had bladder removed when I was 45 and an illeal conduit (urostomy with bag)  installed ... it is a big surgery .......

 and that is the easiest type for the patient to deal with.

I would say outright ..... no radiation below the navel ..... chemo is too systemic at her age .... with her age and onset dimentia  ..... 

.... please remember that no matter which path you suggest she take ...... do NOT take on any blame for your choice  ....

there is no choice that is the best choice and no choice that will not have it's "down side"  for her.   A caregiver's job is harder than the patient's.

 

mladenkaa

surgery vs Chemo

Hello,

      My mother has a four inch tumor above her kidney. We are not sure if it is in the kidney. We know that her lungs are clear, her Adrenal gland is clear and no Cnacer in the brian. It is a tumor sitting above the Kidney. My question is...is it better to remove surgically or do we go for chemo? It is stage four cancer we are told. My thinking is to have surgery. She is having chemo now and is 82 years old and not doing well. We were going to have surgery but the first doctor...surgeon was told by the chemo therapist not to have surgery but that she should have chemo. There was fear that she may have to lose her only remaining Kidney if the surgery did not go well. They have given her 12 to 18 months to live. I say take the Cancer out through surgery....why must it be chemo? I need some help with answers please or suggestions

Lazy_Bones

Immunology, Anyone?

For both these situations, ask about the new immunology drugs, such as Tecentriq, Opdivo, and Keytruda (and others now in the pipeline). After testing the tumor for expression type, the appropriate drug, or combination of the same, can be administered (via IV). There are (usually) no side effects, and these drugs seek out their target-type tumors, wherever in the body they may occur. Tecentriq is the one that saved my life.

sky22

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1575019#Comment_1575019

How long did you do immunotherapy for? did it work immediately???

Lazy_Bones

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1694451#Comment_1694451

I entered a clinical trial for Tecentriq, which went on for years. However, the results of the drug began to show up within two months, with a declared "No Evidence Of Disease (NED)" within six months. I remained in the trial for 3+ years, and dropped out when my immune system began to attack my kidneys. Organ damage is one very real possibility of any of the immunology drugs - they work by boosting the immune system to look for specific cell types (those common in tumors). Each immunology drug looks for specific "markers" on the cells to differentiate between "good", or "normal" cells, and tumor cells.