Weighing the Options - A Cancer Update

As I mentioned last week, I've been having some minor cancer-related health issues and had a CT scan last Friday. Today, I received the results from my oncologist and it's not great news. Of the two significant sized nodules - both have grown. One of the two has doubled in size from .5 cm to 1.0 cm. Plus the radiologist noted that there were "some" new nodules. What does "some" mean? Neither my oncologist nor I know. Are there 3, 4, 15 new nodules? 

With the growth of existing nodules and the additional ones, I have to make a decision on my options moving forward, which are:

1. Go back to the chemotherapy treatment that I did last year in the hopes that it will reduce the size of the tumors (again).
2. Take an anti-estrogen drug in the hopes that it'll reduce the size of the tumors.
3. Take an antibody chemotherapy drug in the hopes that it will slow the growth of the tumors.
4. Do nothing and let nature run its course.

First off, let me say that the treatment options at this point are palliative. There is nothing that is going to cure this disease. Right now it's all down to how much time and/or what quality of life I want to have. 

Quite frankly I have little to no interest in repeating the chemotherapy treatment from last year. People who have never been through chemo will always say "do the chemo" but it's a horrible way to spend your time. I hated it and swore that I would never do traditional chemo ever again - twice was twice too many. My oncologist gave me literature for the other two options and I'm not too enamored with these options either. Both have a bevy of annoying side effects: nausea, nose bleeds, exhaustion, muscle aches, pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. The anti-estrogen drug is the same drug (Tamoxifen) that I took 6 years ago after my bout with breast cancer and I think it's one of the reasons why I now have endometrial cancer. Major medical issues with Tamoxifen: endometrial cancer (too late), stroke, and blood clots in the lungs. Hmmmm... The antibody drug (Bevacizumab) has an interesting medical issue for lung cancer patients: sudden and severe lung bleeding! WTF! The treatments are worse than the disease, but the idea is that if either drug works, it would extend my life expectancy by perhaps 2-3 years.

In case anyone is wondering, I'm leaning toward number 4, which would give me a life expectancy of approximately one year. Now, this is my decision to make and while I appreciate any advice that people want to give, understand that I will do what I feel is right for me. I'm going to take some time reviewing my options and the literature before I make my decision and no matter what I decide, I expect that my friends and family will respect my decision.

As for the breathing pain that brought me to the doctor's office in the first place, the oncologist thinks I probably had some mild irritation in the pleural cavity (pleurisy), which has since cleared up. That is normal for pleurisy.