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Gynecologic Cancers | Last Active: Oct 24, 2023 | Replies (5)

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@jenningh

My Mother who is stage 4 Cervical Cancer just had another reoccurrence. She's had chemo and radiation that gave her 5 great years. She has had most of her gallbladder removed, a stent in her pancreas, and now most recently her kidney. Her kidney function makes her ineligible for clinical trials and she has been recommended Tivdak. My Mother has worked with two Gyno-Oncologists and one was strongly against that form of treatment, the other said he was personally a part of the team that got the FDA Approval and he feels strongly that it will give my Mother more time. The original Gyno-Oncologist said the timeline with no treatment was 6-9 months. I know I'm not the one that has to make this decision, but she's going to look to me to help through this. I read so many discouraging outcomes with tivdak, but I believe the Gyno-Oncologist and trust that it could extend her time which is what I want. I want to support her the best way I can and I don't know how to do that. Any words of wisdom?

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Replies to "My Mother who is stage 4 Cervical Cancer just had another reoccurrence. She's had chemo and..."

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Oct 24, 2023

Hi @jenningh, such a tough position to be in. I can empathize as I faced a similar decision and timeline with my father and colorectal cancer. We (mom, dad and I) talked about the 6-9 month timeline and the possible side effects. My dad decided not to do treatment and we supported that decision. However, once in the office with the oncologist, he reversed his decision - much to our surprise. The clincher for him to change his mind is that the oncologist said that the chemo was a maintenance treatment and that he had the option to stop at any time. After 4 months, my father decided to stop due to side effects, choosing quality of life or quantity. He was with us for 13 months and the end was how he (and we) wanted it to be.

I hope this story might help. The decision is very personal. But like you, my dad looked to me to help sway the decision. I couldn't make the decision for him, but listened and discussed the pros and cons. Ultimately my role was really to be the sounding board and to support whatever he decided.

Hugs to you. Have you and your mom and her team made a decision in the meantime?

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