Chemo or Radiation for my Mom's Pleomorphic/Spindle Cell Sarcoma?
Looking for any advice from peoples' experience.
So my mom (69 years old) was just diagnosed with UPS/Spindle cell sarcoma. She has a 14cm tumor in her left thigh that is grade 3/3. No mets were found anywhere else in her scans. We just met with an oncology team and plan is for 5 weeks of radiation and then surgery. Because of the size & grade of the tumor, the team also recommended systemic treatment with either chemotherapy or immunotherapy to help ensure that any microscopic cells elsewhere in her body are taken care of. I’d love people’s input or experience to help her decide between chemo, immunotherapy, or neither in addition to her radiation/surgery.
For more info:
-CHEMOTHERAPY for this cancer has only proven to be 5-10% effective in preventing recurrence. It also comes with the rough side effects. Plus, my mom has a history of a brain bleed (follows with neuro) and the oncologists had a concern that chemo may affect her platelet count, making any future bleeds more dangerous.
-IMMUNOTHERAPY would have fewer side effects but there are not enough studies to definitively prove benefit (although it does seem to be fairly effective in preventing recurrence). The downside for this one is that my mom has a history of ulcerative colitis (autoimmune condition) and this could be triggered/exacerbated by immunotherapy.
Looking for any advice.