Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 1/21/2008

Question
my mother had cancer on her breast 9 year ago.  Last year they found a tumor on her spine after a great deal of pain and suffering. This was in Sept. of 2007. Today we are all in a waiting state since the doctor's say there is nothing they can do. I have asked how long she has, their answer at first was 6 MOS. However since then my mother is in and out because of the medications that she is taking for pain. My question is this, since she seems to be doing better can they just give more radiation so that she wouldn't have to take the addictive medication that she is taking now therefore making more flexible to do the things she wants to do and giving her more of herself since she was a very active women? Also what is the longest time a person have been able to live with this and what is the shortest amount of time they live with this king of cancer?


Answer
If it is possible to give more radiation depends on how much she has already received. There is an upper limit to how much that can be given. There MAY be other possibilities too like (anti) hormonal and/or chemo therapy. If those are possible in her case can only be told by her dr. There are too many individual variations here on several levels for me to be able to give you any kind of survival time prediction/evaluation unfortunately.