chemo avoidable?

my mother in law was just dx w/ clear cell ca stage 1. no metastasis. had omentectomy,  hysterectomy w/ tumor removal and 21 lymphnodes removed (looked suspicious).  surgeon says w/ clear cell even though its stage one she will still need to go through chemo d/t high recurrence rate.  is this accurate. all family members are split on the decision including my mother in law. does she really need to endure chemo.  shes fragile as it is. Insulin dep diabetic. on coumadin d/t a mitral valve replacement in 2001.  we dont know whether chemo might actually do her more harm? should we seek a second opinion? please help!!!

elizabeth

[hopeshell]

I have heard and read that you need to have chemo with clear cell.  I am stage 1 but not with clear cell.  I didn't have chemo.  I really would recommend going with what the dr. says unless she plans on not taking treatment in the future.  They try to avoid chemo if possible but he must really think she needs it on order to gain a full remission.  You don't mention her age.  The final pathology should tell you if the lymph nodes were affected.  If she is very old and truly not up to treatment you may want to discuss her wishes with her dr.  Best of luck to you.  I hope she gets a really long remission!

[coogeegirl]

I too was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer but not clear cell, in my case it was my second bout of cancer and the ovary was adhered to the bowel.

I was treated as a stage 3 cancer (because it being my second bout of cancer and the adherance to the bowel) and had both chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

I agree with Shelly what I have read about clear cell ovarian cancer, it is well worth doing the chemo as suggested by your oncologist as it has a high recurrence rate and it is your best bet of getting a long remission.

Good Luck to you and of course your mother

Jenny

[alanpvegas]

Very very very tough decision.  No metastasis is good and usualy with stage 1 (all depening now) some oncologists do chemo, some do not.  They like to do chemo because it is never 100% certain that there are other cancer cells floating around there...they would like to kill off as much as possible.

I understand about her condition, but (according to studies) chemo should never be reduced (aka 'watered down') unless it's absolutley unavoidable.  The study showed that women in their 60's and beyond were given less chemo than younger women and had a worse survival rate (I can attest to this as that is what the oncologists did to my mom) whereas giving them the full dosage and treatments showed greater survival rates and no more severe side effects or condition changes than that of younger women.

It's almost impossible, but get a second opinion...you can do this with an HMO too, you just got to request it and pursue it...but remember the oncologists will give you their opinion on what to do based on their experience so you can still be left in this endless loop.  

I'd recommend (un-medically of course) chemo as long as you got a good oncologist and you are all able to monitor her condition.  Yes, chemo is harsh but look into some complimentary therapy to assist also (which oncologists dislike because they don't know much about it...you know, just say 'no' to what you don't know type mentality).

[silver&gold]

Hi Elizabeth
I was diagnosed with clear cell stage 1a  in april 05 and was strongly advised to have 6 chemo treatments , I had carboplatin and  paclitaxol. This cell type is rare 5% and so has limited statistical information.  it has a reputation as being very aggressive and is usually automatically graded as 2or3 . I am in the uk so am aware that the opinions here may differ from elseware but would strongly advise having chemo especially if the cancer is 1b or 1c . This cell type does have a reputation of reccurance and can become chemo resistant . T here is not alot of information out there about clear cell but i have posted several questions to the lovely doctor on this forum . W ishing you the best Angie xx

[hdryder]

I was dx with stage 1 a -serous,mucous,and clear cell-grade 3 was discovered during surgery.Finished 6 rounds(6months) of chemo-dr reccommends additional consolidation therapy for another 6 months( taxol only).Serous and clear cell are aggressive cancers.
Not sure of age of your mother,but there is a 92 and 93 year old at center where I get treatments.there are doing really good.I hope someday soon they find a cure for this horrible disease that alot of people aren't even aware about.