I have an elderly friend (86) who is living in Cyprus with lots of other health problems she has been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma grade 3 - they want to do a lumpectomy as she is too ill to have a general anaesthetic they would be doing this under a local she is also too ill to have chemo or radiotherapy - they have told my friends family that the tumour might burst through the skin if she doesn’t have anything done - they are asking me for my help and advise having had a lumpectomy last December - but this is beyond my experience and I don’t know what to tell them to do for the best - so help everyone
Hi!
I’m no expert but I think if I were 86 and with lots of other health problems, I would tell the doctors to just leave me alone. Surely if she is too ill for chemo and/or rads what is the point of the lumpectomy - especially under a local anaesthetic!! I know of the mother of a friend whose tumor burst through her skin and she was given massive pain relief and did eventually die from it, but surely that might happen anyway to your friend even if she has the op. What would your friend like to do given all the facts.?
Hi Redders - Thanks for your reply - She would like to leave well alone but they are in a foreign Country and are being given different information by different people and there is the language problem to cope with as well - my friend is worried about the tumour bursting and leaving her Nan with a massive open smelly wound - they honestly do not know what to do for the best
I would go for the surgery, my father is 89 and has just survived pneumonia and he had a heart by pass at 86. I have had breast surgery under local anaesthetic and it didn’t hurt at all - although it was for an abscess. As long as you get reasonable pain relief it’s better than not having treatment just because they think you are old
Mole
While appreciating that her age is against her in some ways, I would say have the lumpectomy done to avoid the possible ulceration. However, you also say she is too ill for a general anaesthetic, chemo or radiation. What is the problem? If it is heart, then maybe leaving well alone is the only really sensible thing to do.
I agree with Mole. If it were me in this situation I would prefer to have the surgery, under local anaesthetic and a sedative (I am assuming she could have this). The surgery is unlikely to prolong life, but would give me some dignity - even if the surgery is a small risk, I would take it.
Sarah