@anon0 That's really rough. These days, when there are just a few metastases, they often distinguish it as "oligometastatic" (literally, few metastases), and treat the cancer aggressively as if it can be cured, especially if the metastasis is to the bones (the jury's still out on whether a cure is possible, but they're at least seeing much-longer progression-free survival and better quality of life).

So if they gave you radiation to the metastasis on your pelvic bone, that's likely why. 5 or 10 years ago they would have just assumed the cancer was terminal when it metastasised, and focus on keeping you comfortable. Now, you have a choice, and a chance.

However, fighting oligometastatic cancer aggressively should be a patient choice, not something that just happens to you, because it can come with some tough side-effects. I was only 57, so I told them I wanted to fight, and my radiation oncologist promised to "throw the kitchen sink" at the cancer. I've had to deal with some tough side-effects, but I don't mind, because the treatments have given me my life back — next month I'll meet my first grandchild, something I never thought I'd live to see.

But not everyone wants to go through all this, especially if they're elderly or already have other serious illnesses. Your medical team should have explained the pros and cons of both paths to you and given you time to ask questions and decide what you wanted. If that didn't happen, that's unfair, and I'm so sorry.