Maintenance Chemotherapy for the rest of my life?

I have heard of it but have not known anyone. It sounds like it might be something I would choose. Just hold strong. Things are going to be alright.

@bryan18603, it is not uncommon for stage 4 cancer to be controlled (treated) with chemotherapy and/or other systemic therapies long term. My father was offered this for stage 4 colorectal cancer. It was explained to him that he had control over when to stop or that he could take chemo "vacations".

It is good news that the tumor and lymph nodes have responded well to treatment and have shrunk. How are the side effects of chemo/immunotherapy? Have you thought of talking about temporarily pausing treatment to have a break? Is this advisable in your situation? Might be worth talking to your oncologist about your options.

Colleen,
Thank You for replying. The worst side effect currently is every time I eat something my tongue burns.
I have talked to the doctor about just going on immunotherapy or moving treatments to every 3 weeks instead of every other week. He has declined each and says the treatments are working and we have to stay with them. I have gone out of town and they stretched the treatment to 3 weeks. I’m at the point where I’m not sure what to do. I am enrolled in a stage 3 clinical trial but it is nothing special as I am just receiving standard of care. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

My husband was told that it was a possibility he would have to remain on treatment for the rest of his life. He has been off immunotherapy since Jan 2024. They are watching him closely as his September PET Scan showed a couple lymph nodes with possible signs of cancer but the blips were too small to tell. One node was in his right lung and the other behind his heart. His endoscopy biopsy samples taken last week were clear. We will be doing another PET scan in December or January. With the year anniversary of his last immunotherapy treatment fast approaching we are a little nervous. We are trying to live life to the fullest and counting our blessings every day - Power of prayer!

I have stage 4 esophageal cancer with a tumor at a distant lymph node. I am in a second stage clinical trial. I was told I will have to take chemotherapy for the rest of my life. I asked if they could lower my dosage, and they did. I feel much better than I did in the beginning of my treatment, and my two tumors continue to shrink.

I have not asked for a break.
What amount of time do people usually ask for?

I had chemo/immunotherapy for stage 4 adenocarcinoma, tumor at the GE junction for 2 years and because the scans eventually stopped showing any changes (a good thing), I opted to discontinue treatment and get scans every 6 months now. We’ll see what happens.

I have the same thing. Stage 4 GEJ with a distant lymph node. I have only been on treatment for about a year. Sounds like I have a long way to go.

My tumor disappeared at about 6 months and scans kept showing shrinking of abdominal lymph nodes until there showed no changes for many months. Lung spot disappeared quickly and we were not convinced the spot on my liver was part of the spread. Good luck in your journey.

It sounds like you are blessed!
How did you handle chemotherapy for 2 years? I am having a hard time with it and it has been less than a year. I have read chemotherapy is cumulative and I can’t imagine what it would be like in 2 years.