On April 17, 2018, my gastroenterologist told me a have a tumor. On July 6, 2018, I completed the first course of treatment, ie. taking 4 tablets of Xeloda in the morning, M-F, 3 in the evening, M-F, radiation, M-F for 28 treatments. Tomorrow, I have surgery. After time to heal from surgery, I will have intravenous chemotherapy. So, yes, I'm going through the treatment.

I am a 10 year primary brain cancer survivor, anaplastic astrocytoma grade 3. Not only did I go through treatment for two years, I would do it again.

It depends on the kind of cancer & also what the treatment would be.

Depends on the treatment available, the cancer type, chances of remission etc.
If it was all not great news, I would make preparations to say goodbye, travel if there was a chance I could, stop treatment and seek euthanasia.
If there was a good recovery outcome and decent treatment I would give it a try. People do recover from cancer, even seniors.

I would seek alternative treatment based on Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV, [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] ), provided that there's evidence it has been shown effective against the type of cancer in question, which seems to be fairly broad at this point.

It had been a while since I checked this info, and I'm pleased to see knowledge of NDV in the treatment of cancer has expanded, but not near enough research has been done, considering that the earliest indications of its effectiveness dates back to 1962.

Depends on the chance of winning the battle and quality of life. I'm not interested in a pointless battle and low quality of life. However, who knows until your actually face with the real LIFE decision.

It would most certainly depend on the type and stage of the cancer....there is Not a one-size-fits-all treatment!

It would depend on the details, particularly the prognosis, but most cancer "treatment" is extremely hit-or-miss and very taxing, and "success" is defined as "freedom from detectable cancer for at least 5 years" and there's some indication that cancer returning just beyond that threshold is not uncommon -- it's not that unusual to have a 2 or 3 year "battle with cancer", be okay for a few years, and then back at it with a vengeance again.

At this point in my life ( age 61 ) just selfishly speaking I'd rather have have palliative care than chemo and radiation unless the prognosis were very good for full recovery in a fairly short time. There's nothing that compelling about life that I want to go to ridiculous ends to hold onto it.

Speaking to reality, which is that I have a wife and stepson my demise would severely impact, and less so, a daughter and four grandchildren, one of the latter of whom I'm actively mentoring -- I might well endure a broader range of misery and uncertainty on their behalf, but again, it'd be situational. In some ways I already feel I've lived long enough, seen enough (and lost enough) but it's not all about me and my preferences.

it depends on the cancer

Even though, I am not sure what the actual scenario would be at that time, but I am pretty sure that would depend on which portion of the body has the carcinogenic cells.
I would try to switch to a vegan diet and exercise, if possible, that is for sure

I already did. Diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin's Lymphoma in January 2017 and went through 12 chemo treatments over 6 months. Been in remission since August 2017... So many people have said to me, "well, at least you had the curable kind" -- yes, "curable" if you've had treatment, because I also know of some people who didn't get treatment who died. So, no regrets here. Even if it comes back, I still have a better chance. I'm all for alternative treatments, but I also believe in exploring every option.

Cancer isn't one disease, it's dozens (hundreds?) of different diseases, each with their own growth rates and weaknesses. Current treatment options for some kinds are expanding rapidly and prognoses are improving.

Unless the cancer is confirmed untreatable by two separate physicians, probably I would opt for any medical option available.

I think it depends upon the type and stage of cancer. One of my dear friends had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was over 50, had chemo, and is doing well. Another friend with hodkin's lymphoma and she had chemo. It was rough on her but she is still alive and doing ok. She was probably < 40.

Both of those friends were healthy as a horse folks - who were both in great physical shape, ate a good diet, etc. (Just to point to the "eat more kale and you won't get cancer" crowd that cancer can hit anyone).

I am not a medically trained person - but a computer scientist. But in my work I deal with cancer datasets quite a bit. The survival outcomes for some type cancers are in your favor if you undergo chemo. For other types, like the glioblastoma that killed John McCain, the prognosis is not good (glioblastoma is a NASTY disease). The survival numbers are starkly different.

Yes my mother had cancer when she turned 75, she just turned 85 and is still going strong

1). Yes

2). My daughter. I’m all she has.

3). No

I am 81 and if I had a diagnosis of cancer, I would not undergo treatment. I would have a different perspective if I were younger. My attitude; why go through the horrible treatment, spend an exorbitant amount money only to die anyway in a reasonably short time frame. Your mileage may vary.

It depends on the rate that I would be expected to survive. I have been through an illness which required me to be bedbound for about a year and which I could barely leave the house for three years. I am not ever going to let that type of suffering happen again at my age.I have already lost 3 years of my life to it.

Like almost everyone else, it would depend on the type of cancer and the odds of a remission. I would not, for example, treat pancreatic cancer since that's usually caught at stage 4. For other types, I'd need to know more. I have seen people go to 'heroic' treatments only to be utterly miserable for the extra two weeks it probably bought them. I'm about to turn 70. I wouldn't want to go, but it's inevitable. My daughter is an adult and a successful physician. We've discussed my Advanced Directive as to what should be done if I'm unable to make healthcare decisions and unless I can be myself again, I'm a DNR.

i will have to answer this question soon. my endometrial biopsy isn't until the 17th. i've been trying to answer it in advance and i can't.

g

yep. not done yet.

I was and did. Head and neck.

Depends on the type of cancer and the prognosis with (vs without) treatment.

It comes down to a cost/benefit analysis in my mind. Some of the treatments for cancer are very specialized and very expensive. If one only gains a little bit more life for all that money, probably not worth it.

Finally, I seem to recall a comment that while many men will die WITH prostrate cancer but not OF prostrate cancer. Oversimplifying things - I expect we will all have carcinogenic cells in our body, the question is one of if and when they spread and how aggressively.

Depends on the type and the prognosis

Friend of mine went through radiation and chemo and it knocked out the cancer...if you want to live you have to give it a shot