Knarf
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You have the ultimate say for yourself!
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Van der Elst
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Hi Francis, My cousin has just decided that after 18 months, she wants no more chemotherapy for her bowel cancer. She has had enough. good luck and all the very best to you.
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reggie
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yes you can make your own decision and your GP will support you but speak to your consultant as there is patches for pain and syringe drivers for pain pi cc and hi cc lines take care
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brixWG
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In most countries once your 16 years or older and sound of mind you can refuse nearly all medical treatment.
I would research it with you own doctor before making any decisions.
Hope you make the right informed choice for yourself and good luck with whatever you choose.
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animemadness
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It depends on what type of cancer it is you know some have very high success rates and some don't talk it through with your doc.
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David M
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The truthful answer is yes but I would take specialist advice before doing so.
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will of Bath
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You can- but I'd advise after seeing my mum, her parents, my wife's cousin (age 32) all die of cancer- treatment is far better to at least prolong what life is left. All of them deteriorated quite rapidly- and though they did indeed suffer- none seemed interested in ceasing treatment.
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sweetie
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yes you can xx
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Dekker
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Yes you can refuse treatment, however nobody will ever leave you alone, you'll be constantly bombarded by doctors and family trying to get you to change your mind, or they could just declare you incompetent and take over your medical decisions, in which case, I Myself would just commit suicide if it was that bad, Imo nobody except you has the right to dictate if you live or die when it comes to cancer, your life will never be the same and you'll be suffering for the rest of your days.
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huw 4x4
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yes, good luck x
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Panda
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Yes. No one is forced to undergo treatment for cancer. However, you should make sure that you understand that not all cancer is like your mothers. Everyone is totally different. There are over 200 different types of cancer, some are slow growing cancers, some are easily treatable. All cancers in the early stage can be treated . . many times cured . . so the patient is in permanent remission. Would you really want to have a stage 1 breast cancer and just let it run its natural course . . and die of cancer when there was a treatment available that gave you a chance to lead a normal life?
Research is constantly changing in the cancer field . . what happened to your mother may never happen to you at all.
Whatever your decision though . . do so with a clear conscience. Make your choice after you know all your facts and know what is on the horizon in cancer research for the type of cancer you are dealing with. Have no regrets.
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NEW lady
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Is it incurable? My dad recently had his second op and chemo and has just had the all clear... for now. It is up to you, but as the others have said treatment is improving all the time. Speak to your oncologist.
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Jamie J
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Last time I checked it's still your body, your choice. As far as the painkillers go, I don't know if that would be defined as some form of "treatment" but I'd think not. Never hurts to check.
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domme me
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UK answer...
if this is a theoretical question, the quick answer is Yes.
If this is a question prompted by an existing condition, you should discuss this with your doctor, or a consultant oncologist. they can tell you about the pros and cons.. the long term effects of the type of cancer that you have.. your quality of life and how long it will be before it kills you.
they can also explain the side effects of chemo and surgery.
there are many different types of cancer.
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slvrfox14
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I am assuming you are an adult. If so, you have the final say in your treatment even though some doctors will try to convince you otherwise. If someone administers treatment to a person who is in possession of their mental faculties without consent, it is in fact a criminal assault. If you want to refuse treatment and opt for pain management only it is your right. As long as
you can find a doctor to prescribe adequate painkillers, you are entitled to live out your life the way you want to.
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lisab
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Yes you have a right to refuse medical treatment...you will be considered AMA meaning against medical advice. It is your life please think long and hard of the decision you are making. I feel for your situation and wish you the best.
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jillybird
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You need to discuss this with your oncologist.
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WDOUI
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Yes you can refuse any treatment you do not want. The powers that be will make it hard on you but you have the ultimate choice. Do what my brother did. He was under so much pressure he told them he would consent only if all treatment from this day foreword was free. He brought in a contract and asked them to sign or never bother him again.
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sparkey
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of course you can its your choice
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lo_mcg
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Yes you have that right.
Is this a hypothetical situation or do you have cancer? If so is it in its final stages?
I can foresee a time when I might decide it was preferable not to have any more treatment, if it was going to extend my life for a while but the quality of life for that short time would be poor.
But I'm VERY glad I had chemo and radiotherapy for my stage three grade three cancer. Four years after diagnosis I am fit and well, and though there are aspects that make my quality of life a little worse - I have lymphoedema as a result of surgery, for example, and this limits my use of my right arm - I am bloody glad to be alive and my quality of life is pretty good.
I was reluctant to have chemo, but i believe it has extended my life, and may well have saved it.
Think carefully before refusing treatment if you are newly diagnosed and have not been told your cancer is terminal.
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matador89
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Francis7, You may not have realised it, but we live in a "free" world. Ours is the choice whether we take prescribed medication or not. We are allowed to make our own choice on most things. Some choices are removed from us - for example, if we suffer from a terminal illness that is too uncomfortable, we are not allowed to end our own life, or have someone do it for us at our behest - unless, of course, we live in Switzerland. So your question is answered easily by a simple
YES!
Hope this helps
matador 89
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book worm
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Yes, you are perfectly entitled to refuse cancer treatment, but please consider the pros and cons first of all. More people live following cancer treatment than die from the disease. Of course it depends very much upon the type of cancer and how early it is discovered. My thoughts are very much with you.
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Scobill
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You have every right to refuse treatment , but you should do this in consultation with the consultant and your GP
Perhaps your cancer will be more likely to respond to treatment and you should not just ignore it completely
In the end it can be your decision and I wish you luck whatever you decide
I did see my mother suffer pain and indignity after Chemo , and that has certainly clouded my feelings about allowing treatment or not
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inverse_mushroom_cloud
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Have you been told it's incurable?
Have you gotten a second or third opinion?
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ellie
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as long as you understand the implications and the doctor is happy that you do then yes. some cancers are more easily treated than others and treatment has come a long way. just because your mother lost her battle with cancer despite treatment doesn't mean you will. look carefully at your options and the rates of recovery. talk to a macmillian nurse. look at kylie, she's through breast cancer which used to kill most women. cancer isn't necessarily a death sentance these days. i don't know what stage of cancer you have or whether it has spread but most cancers caught early can be treated and cured. good luck
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Allen B
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If you are over 18 you are perfectly entitled to do that, but please give it some more thought, cancer treatment improves year after year but the final decision on your treatment is ultimately yours.
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Chris P
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You are within your rights to refuse cancer treatment, it is down to personal choice at the end of the day but you should really discuss it with your family first.
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Nicole B
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Yes, you have the right to refuse treatment. The doctors and nurses will try very hard to get you to change your mind, though.
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starlet108
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Yes you can refuse - nobody has the right to force chemo and stuff on you. I have lost many of my family to cancer and I also feel that if my time comes - depending on what cancer it was - it's possible that I also wouldn't put myself through chemo xxxx
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wjohagan
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You surely can. As long as you're still competent to make a decision, your medical treatment or the absence of it is up to you.
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stuartscott
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Francis, the simple answer to your question is yes. All treatment needs to be by informed consent from you and legally any health professional would be committing a criminal assault if they proceeded with treatment against your wishes. I notice one of the other answers said you could be forced to have treatment. This is nonsense and could only happen in the very rare situation that you were deemed mentally incompetent to make treatment decisions, or you had a serious infectious disease that could harm others if it was not treated. If you were really worried that you would be treated against your will, you can further protect your rights by creating an advanced directive, basically putting in writing your wishes. Here is a link giving more information:
www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40025325/
What is important is that you discuss your thoughts fully with your doctors and your family so that everyone is clear about your wishes. Another answer suggested you could be discharged against medical advice (AMA) again this is a fallacy. Some patients think if they do not follow doctor's orders the doctor will refuse all other treatment as some kind of "punishment". I have a number of patients deciding to withdraw from all treatment at various stages of their illness. In that circumstance I see my function as making them aware of all the consequences (pro's and con's) of their decision. However, I also make it very clear that my door is always open and they can change their mind at any time. They are usually concerned, as you are, that pain will be a problem and I reassure them that I will be happy to treat any distressing symptoms they wish me to in the future.
Your feelings are common in family members who see their loved one suffering, especially if they have seen them go through some arduous treaments, with little improvement . However, I don't know when your mother died, but treatments for cancer are moving forward all the time and patients who would have died 10 years ago are now living longer and with good quality of life, and cancers that were not curable then are curable now.
The main advice I can give you is to explore all the avenues, get as much good information as you can and make any decisions based on those. Good luck.
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