MicheleC53

My mother was diagnosed with NSCC, we have found that it has not spread. Doctors are wanting to take out the lower lobe of the lung, major surgery and there are concerns regarding how frail my mother is. It just boogles the mind that Doctors don't tell you all the options out there regarding surgery. I guess if they refer you to someone else they lose big money as well as the hospitals and I'm sure just a little ego as well. My family has experienced this in several ways, hysterectomeys as well as back surgery, unbeliveable what they don't tell you. You have to do your own research because they don't tell you all your options. I guess I always thought they were only looking out for you, but obviously not.... We have found in St. Louis a doctor who can remove her lobe with minimally invasive surgery. 2-3 day hospital stay and some people are back to work in a couple of weeks vs 6-7 day hospital stay and months of recovery. The proceedure is called VATS, video assisted lung and heart surgery. They say that not only is recovery is quicker, but the patient's survivor rate is higher than traditional surgery, they feel because the patient is not trying to recover from the surgery with all the side effects ect... I just thought I'd pass it along, I did not see anything on your message board when we were first trying to find some different options other than traditional surgery, chemo and radiation. Thank you all for your information, it has helped in dealing with this. I just don't understand why a lung scan is not a standard test along with our yearly mammogaphy... Michele

Thank for all the kind words and information. We did talk to a place in Rhode Island and they said they did more of the thermal ablation and follow up with radation then any other place in the US. We are in the Kansas City area. Here is the web site of the place in RI. Surgery seems to be the gold standard for treatment but if not this might be a option... Thank you again for your help and support!!! http://www.lifespan.org/news/2006/07/17 ... -patients/

I guess in some ways we ahead of ourselves...We are hoping the PET Scan will show that the cancer has not spread and there is only the one tumor. Everything we've read says the choice of treatment is generally surgery and radaition. She had polio as a child and due to curverature of spine her left lung is pretty compromised, as well as being rather frail due to the effects of the polio. She has a herrington rod running down her spine. The tumor is located in lower right lobe. We have PET Scan next Tuesday and lung function tests as well as meeting with Pulumoary Dr. and then specailist on Friday. I have read that the Thermal ablation and radiotherapy afterwards has been used in Lung Cancer with awesome results. It is basically using a hot needle to destroy the cancer. They have used it in China with great sucess and we now have people using it on different cancers. Just thought maybe someone would have information 1st hand how it works and where to go for information. Thanks for your reply

My mother is in the midwest, to frail for surgery, we are interested in Thermal ablation. Have read up on it and are trying to find someplace in the midwest that does it. Any help would be appericated. Thank-you!