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Esophageal Cancer: Surgery Or Not?
Esophageal Cancer | Last Active: Sep 23 1:03pm | Replies (40)Comment receiving replies
Did you go for pre-surgical chemo and/or radiation.? That is my dilemma with my spouse. PET scan shows no nodal involvement or metastasis But the mass has invaded the muscle layer of the esophagus so he is T2N0. Should he spend precious time having chemo and radiation and risk the cancer spreading at that time or becoming immune suppressed that his surgery needs to be delayed or just go right to surgery?
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@ollusam, I can understand your concern about delaying surgery for fear of further spread. Keep in mind that chemo and radiation prior to surgery are treatments that also help stop the spread. By shrinking the tumor prior to surgery, your cancer team may feel that the surgery will be more successful.
It sounds like you have more questions to ask in order to make the decision that is right for your husband and they you can have confidence in the treatment he is getting. I would ask questions like:
- Why do you recommend chemo and radiation before surgery?
- I'm concerned about waiting and fear the cancer will spread if surgery isn't done right away. If surgery is done before chemo and radiation, will the cancer continue to grow?
- What are the risks and benefits of each treatment approach?
@ollusam, has your husband started treatment? How are you doing?