catlady91

Hi Christine please don't feel guilty. Cancer is a huge shock and life changing event regardless of stage. It brings with it the same fears and emotions. Luckily advances in treatment have come so far that there are success stories of many people with stage 4 lung cancer. There's hope and treatment at every stage. Yes the higher the stage, the more the cancer has progressed but no stage is hopeless. Also the stages are used to guide treatment for example treatment for stage 1 is different from treatment for stage 3. Most people with stage 3 aren't candidates for surgery. My mum was diagnosed with stage 3B and she couldn't have surgery but she had radiotherapy, chemo and immunotherapy and she's been NED for over 2 years. She has her routine scan next week so fingers crossed that she's still NED.

It's understandable that Justin feels depressed and deflated, but it's normal. All cancer sufferers are faced with the idea of death (even if the cancer is not terminal) and it's terrifying. My mum felt the same way. She was terrified and scared but it's just the shock and the fear. Treatment for lung cancer has come so far. There's been so much progress made. It's no longer a death sentence. Even my the doctor who diagnosed my mum said that 10/15 years ago it would have been very bad news for her and she would only be offered palliative care but now treatment has come so far. There are people with stage 4 who have been living with cancer for years and are thriving. When mum was first diagnosed I knew absolutely zero about cancer- for me it's either something that's curable or terminal. I couldn't have ever imagined that people could live with cancer. Justin has every reason to stay positive. Xx

I'm so pleased to hear that you have some positive news Justin. EMandM is right that the NHS wouldn't bother spending money on treatment if they didn't think it could be successful. The fact that the doctors say that the results are way better than expected is fantastic. Good luck with the gamma knife treatment. Keep us updated x

Justin please don't give up the fight! Attitude is everything. Strength of mind and body and positivity is important. You are you, not a statistic. If someone tells you that you're a failure and you can't do something, do you listen to them? No! Never let anyone or anything hold you back and take your fight and strength away. After each knock pick yourself up and think, I can do this. There are lots of long term stage 4 survivors here who are not only surviving but thriving. Treatment has come a long way and new treatments are being discovered every day. Chin up! You can do this. I sent you an email by the way.

Don't trust everything that you read online. Most of the articles are outdated. Online it says that stage IIIB lung cancer isn't curable yet my mum was given curative intent treatment! A lot of the articles online are from several years ago and don't take into account new treatments. Survival rates are improving all the time. I would look at more updated and recent studies that show the results of new treatments and the results are very promising with many people living longer. New treatments have been a game changer and have contributed to increased survival. There are a lot of positive stories out there. If you give me your email, I can send you some.

Fingers crossed Justin 🤞🤞.

There are many success stories out there. Don't lose hope Justin. Lung cancer survival is improving all the time and there are so many new treatments. I remember you saying previously that one of the doctors spoke to you about targeted therapy before the mets were diagnosed. Do you know if you are eligible for targeted therapy or immunotherapy?

Wow this oncologist can't make up his mind. There are some doctors that are more pessimistic than others. I really didn't think that they gave prognises anymore unless someone is in a really bad way and the cancer is too advanced for treatment other than palliative. They never gave my mum a prognosis though one doctor said her cancer was incurable and her oncologist gave her treatment with curative intent. My mum had an awful oncologist before her current one who is amazing. He was so negative and didn't seem to know much about the latest treatments or clinical trials. If you're unhappy with your oncologist, switch to a new one who will do his best to get you the best treatment. I also remember I spoke to this awful McMillan nurse when my mum was first diagnosed and she said that people with stage IIIB lung cancer usually only live for six months. Well it's been 2 years and mum is NED 😂. Our old cat was diagnosed with two brain tumors and gave his two months, three max but he lived for over three years which is like 15 years in human years!! He was an old cat- he was almost 20 when he died! My point is that no one knows how long anyone will live. It helps to be your own advocate. With my cat the vet and family members said to put him down during those 3 years but he was still happy. We only put him down because towards the end he was really suffering and we knew it was his time. Keep your chin up. Treatments have improved a lot over the past few years. Find an oncologist who believes in you and is up to date with the latest treatments.

Lou is right, don't give up hope. I think that all people with cancer have thoughts of and fear of death. It's a shock but it doesn't mean death. There are so many new treatments available and there are many people who are living for years with stage 4 cancer. I follow this woman on Instagram who was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and had around 17 tumours around her body at the time of diagnosis and over 5 years later she's still alive. She almost died but she defied all odds. You mentioned that the doctor was happy with the size of them so they must think it's very treatable. I've heard that brain mets can easily be radiated. Lung cancer does commonly spread to the brain. Did you have a head CT whilst you were being diagnosed for cancer? They gave my mum a head CT on top of a PET and chest CT.

Don't rely too much on what you read online. There isn't a lot of information about the advances in treatment. It's the same with survival statistics- most of them are heavily outdated and don't take into account treatment advances. How large is the brain mets?

RIP Teri. I'm so sad and shocked to hear that she passed. She was such a positive person who had a huge presence on this forum.

I'm so sorry to hear this Justin. Hopefully the mets are small and can be dealt with with radiation. I don't have any experience of brain mets but I've heard that they can be successfully treated with radiation. What else did the doctor say?

Hi Justin, I hope you're doing well and had a good Christmas. Having a mutation isn't really good or bad news; it just helps the oncologists to decide what treatment plans are and aren't suitable. Luckily there are lots of new targeted treatments for mutations. It's good that the oncologist doesn't think that you need the treatment at this moment, but it seems like the treatment is an option if the cancer was to return (hopefully it won't but it's good to know that there are options). I wish you a happy and cancer free 2022!

I think it's worth asking and exploring what further options there are. It's good that the oncologist is happy with the treatment though. I think it's always good see what else is available so you have more options and are more informed about your illness as you can xx

My mum also had burning after radiotherapy and she only had two rounds of chemo. She was meant to have an extra one but they decided it wasn't necessary. Well done for finishing your treatment and sticking with it. Apparently not everyone does and when my mum was undergoing treatment one of the nurses told her that not all patients stick with it and give up treatment. I read that you're not eligible for immunotherapy. Do you know if they want you to try any targeted therapy instead? Monica x