It's a difficult decision and many factors have to come into play I guess. At her age, 70, it's unlikely she will live a long life free from related health issues and I guess she's thinking it might be better to have quality, not quantity. If she has the operation and chemo she will spend the next year feeling pretty horrible most of the time. In fact, she has irreparable nerve damage from the last chemo and so her fingers tingle constantly and don't work as well as they used to. A constant reminder of the treatment. It can't be pleasant. I suppose she's thinking of that as well, the possibility of lifetime complications. Who know, other than that the decision needs to be hers.
RE: The long road