Mom Refuses treatment -- Malignant Fibrocystic Histiocytoma Myxofibro sarcoma

My mom (70 years old) recently diagnosed with high grade MFH. The tumor is larger than 5 cm and located upper arm near armpit. Taking the tumor size/grade/location under consideration, the suggested treatment is to reduce the size of tumor by rationation and chemo first, then proceed the surgery.

My mom believes in fate. She believes MFH is not curable for her situation and she will die from this disease the same speed with/without the treatment. She decides to keep her life quality and insists not to go through any invasive treatment including chemo and radiation. 

I would like to know if anyone out there supports my mom's decision. Is it really true that it doesn't make big difference in terms of survival rate between the MFH patients with treatment vs. without treatment. If going through the treatment that might extend a few more months of life but sacrafice the quality of life. Is it really worth it?

Mom and I are very close in life. I am very frastrated, very afraid of losing her. But I also love mom so much that I cannot stand seeing her suffering from chemo and radiation. What should I do? Should I support mom's decision?

Helen

I think it is your mother's decision.  If she wants quality over quantity its her decision and I know how hard it is for those that love her but it is her decision.  After watching my husband go thru chemo and radiation (which was terrible) and now possibly surgery to have his voicebox removed and a neck dissection, I feel that the final decision will be his and his alone and he is 74.  And this is something I have stressed to our four sons.  

If your mother's cancer is not curable, why should she go thru chemo and radiation.  The side effects are just as bad as the cancer.  Any cancer patient will tell you that you have to have the will to fight the disease and the treatment.

Just be there for your mother and whatever she decides.  It will be hard on you that's for sure but in the end it is her decision to make.

Don't have C myself, but after much research, believe your Mother is making a wise decision

Our Creator made the human body with an amazing ability to heal, if given what it needs. Believe C is our body's message that it is getting too much of what it doesn't want, and not enough of what it does 

These documentaries might help -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_r24lT3AtE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbIixJI_oa4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFiT66QjEFI

Hi Helen,

I understand your concern, you want what is best for your mother, at the same time you don't want to lose her. It's a really tough call in deciding whether to go ahead with treatment. My mother who passed from PC in 2009, was not interested in conventional chemo after seeing what my father went through with chemo/radiation for his colon cancer in 1988. If she couldn't have the surgery, then she was ready to let nature take it's course. However, as she was diagnosed with stage IV PC with several mets with several complications, she was not going to be a suitable candidate for either surgery or chemo.

Not knowing much of anything about this particular disease, I can't say whether treatment would work well enough to shrink her tumors. What I can say is that each patient with cancer is unique and what works for one person, may not work for another. I think your mom is making a wise choice for her in choosing quality of life which I am assuming must be pretty good right now.

There are many things that she can take to support her system in boosting immunity and helping to manage the effects of the cancer. One therapy I would suggest as a possible alternative that might benefit her as far as managing the effects of the cancer, and who knows maybe even going so far as playing a part in shrinking her tumors, would be to consider receiving IV Vitamin C therapy. There has been much research and success stories of patients who have received IV Vitamin C with positive results. You can read more about this through the links below :

http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/174/7/937

http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/

There are also many who have talked about Vit C therapy at this message board which you can search out using IV Vitamin C as your keywords.

I wish both you and your mom, much strength and courage on this journey and that she can know many more days of peace and comfort.

Thanks for all the replies. Here is the current status of my mom.

We met 3 oncologists and had PET scan done this week. The surgeon oncologist confirmed that the tumor is treatable and can be removed through surgery after 4 weeks of radition therapy. Chemo therapy was not recommended in her case. 

With this conclusion, my mom gained some hope and is willing to proceed the radiation. But right now, the radiation oncologist didn't want to start the treatment right away because there is one lymph node imflamation showed in PETscan. We were told that we have to wait for 2 more weeks to proceed further biopsy on lymph nodes before the radiation treatment.

I am worrying that the delay could cause the cancer cell spread. The tumor grows aggressively day by day.

In general, I don't want to lose my mom and I have to encourage my mom to fight cancer till the end.