What a wonderful website for this crappy thing called Synovial Cell Cancer! I appreciate everyone's knowledge, experiences and sharing and caring that occurs day in and out on this site. Just Amazing!! Thank you for that!!
I understand every case is different and my mother maybe fortunate or not, time will tell..
My mother is 73 and has been diagnosed with SCC in her right ankle, it was diagnosed after removing a mass in her foot and bone spurs about 2 months ago. She had a X-ray and MRI 3 years ago and the doctor did not think the mass was cancer and it has not spread. She did have surgery to remove the mass and bone spurs. The biopsy came back with SCC. She is being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. They ran the several tests, exams and a PET scan and it has not spread, but still in her ankle, as expected.
The surgeon and two doctors have provided the following three options and his/their opinion or recommendation is amputation of the foot.
1. Removal of foot and no Chemo or Radiation and PET Scan every three months and then every 4 months, 6 months and once a year, after two years. They did an assessment and determined she is a very healthy and "young" 73, otherwise he would not have recommended amputation.
2. He can try to remove more of the cancer, but it's in a bad location in her ankle, would not be able to use her foot after surgery and she would need chemo and radiation treatments. Would most likely spread to other parts of her body down the road and eventually the lungs.
3. No surgery and just treat with radiation and chemo, her radiation Oncologist could not do laser radiation, because the cancer is located next a major artery. so, it would be mild radiation.
I guess a fourth option would be do nothing and hope it stays "dormant"
She has a team of 3 doctors (including the surgeon), one of the doctors asked 7 of his colleagues what they would do? 6 or the 7 said remove the foot.
As stated above every case is different, jus thought I would get more feedback from others that are going or have gone through this.
Thank your for your input!