My mil has rectal cancer now spread to...

[ppro1110]

...bladder--any chances of survival? my 84 yr old MIL has rectal cancer, been thru surgery, chemo x 4, and radiation. is there any reasonable chance of survival for or is hospice care the only route-comfortable if possible

[Kassie Mitchell]

if they have the will to live, thats the main part, my aunt had lung cancer, and was always saying she'd pull through and she did, the docters said if she gave up she would've died. Just dont give up hope!!! Hope is the meaning of survival...

[esmookie]

If the cancer has spread locally there is also a possibility of systemic spread. It is always hard to talk about end of life issues, however, in this case you should speak to your MIL and see what she wants. After being through surgery and chemo, she may want to pass with dignity. The treatment options that exist would be difficult pelvic exteneration (definition below) in which all the organs in the pelvis are removed. However, given the possibility of systemic spread this may not exact a cure, this going through such a morbid operation may not benefit her. If the family chooses to be aggressive, I would suggest a PET/CT to look for systemic disease and try another chemotherapy regimen to see if the cancer responds to the new regimen. Having said all this I refer back to my opening statement, and add that a life well spent is best served by passing with dignity, ask her what she wants and hospice is not a bad way to go. Good luck

en.wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvic_exenteration)

[slipstream]

never give up...............new medical advance,s are happening every day..........just heard they can grow organ,s out of tissue sample,s......in animal,s for now.....human,s may be next....you just don,t ever know what,s around the corner....just don,t ever give up!

[ruth r]

go naturalhipocrates miami west, floridajill schneider