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Hello All! My handle on this forum I believe is bigheart.fg, and I am a Cancer Rookie!


Fred G

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Allow me to introduce myself, please call me Fred! I was diagnosed in March of this year with non-squamous, non-small cell adenocarcinoma, stage 2, moderate, with a Standardized Uptake Value (SUV)of 12.5 in my right lung. However, surgery was ruled out due to some lymph nodes that lit up during the PET scan. I am very appreciative of all of you that participate on this forum, and look forward to networking with you!

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Good morning, Fred.  Sounds like you have an early diagnosis which is always a good thing.  Because surgery isn't an option, I presume you've moved on to or will be moving on to chemo and/or radiation?  How are you feeling?  If you have questions, ask away.  We've all been there!

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Thanks a bunch, Susan! You are correct regarding my chemo/radiation. Do not know when I will be starting though, because my insurance company (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) is not agreeing with my radiology Oncologist regarding the prescribed treatment. My radiologist wants to use the IMRT Method as opposed to the 3D method. The IMRT method pinpoints the cancer nodule along with the lymph nodes that lit up during the PET Scan, to "blast" each specific subject, while the 3D method acts as a "shotgun blast" to my whole upper body! Anyway just waiting right now, so I will let all know what the outcome is!

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Hi Fred!

Welcome here. 

Ok so I suspect you've had a biopsy to test for tumor markers and possible targeted therapy. Is that correct?

I hope the insurance problem settles quickly and in the doctor's favor. 

Stay the course. 

Tom

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Hey, Tom! Oh yeah, I did the biopsy dance, along with the PET scan, which I was almost not able to have, because I am a Type 2 Diabetic and my Blood/ Sugar numbers would not stabalize. However, the sugars finally settled down and the PET scan was completed.

With regards to the insurance dilemna, we called our insurance company today, and found that my radiologist filed an appeal on the 9th of May, and it generally takes 15 business days to make a determination, which means that we may not hear anything until May 30th. I will keep ya'll posted on the outcome. Take care of yourself!

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Hi, Fred,

Welcome to LCSC. I'm glad to see that you've already connected with Tom and Susan. I hope that you make many meaningful connections on this site. Please feel free to explore the blogs and discussion boards and join in on any conversation that resonates with you. And, like Tom and Susan said, when you have questions, fire away!

I'm glad you were able to move forward with the biospy and PET scan. I hope you get good news from the insurance company. Keep us posted!

With gratitude,

Lauren
--
Digital Community Manager
LUNGevity Foundation

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Thank you, Lauren! Yes, I totally support what is taking place here on this page, and looking forward to absorbing as much information as possible, as well as adding info when I can.

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Hey Tom Galliano! Sure hope that you receive this message because I really am not sure that I have done it right! Anyway, when you responded to my message and asked if they had tested for tumor markers and possible targeted therapy, would you please tell me what those two things mean?

Thanks so much, in advance, for your assistance.


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Hey Tom! I just wanted to let you know that I did not change your name. I have a wonderful phone that takes the liberty to change the spelling WITHOUT ASKING!

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Fred,

I'm a little hampered myself by responding on a cell phone. On my computer, I could link you right to the information about tumor markers and targeted therapy. But, I can't link so I'll tell you where to find it. 

Go to Lungevity.org and search for lung cancer 101. Follow the string for NSCLC, then adenocarcinoma, then treatments, then targeted therapy. 

Can someone on a computer respond with links to targeted therapy in lung cancer 101 to help Fred read in?

Stay the course. 

Tom

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Hi, Fred,

Here is the link to the Targeted Therapy section of LUNGevity's Lung Cancer 101 website that Tom mentioned: https://www.lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/lung-cancer-101/treatment-options/targeted-therapy

There is a lot of information plus a video on this page that explains diagnostic testing for genetic mutations in tumors. We are here to answer your questions!

Lauren
--
Digital Community Manager
LUNGevity Foundation

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