nikk67

thanks for this info as I never saw the article and live in Toronto!

I just posted the link to this article under an ongoing post in general! Glad to see it was already on here! PS My 17 yr old cat stays by side when I am bedridden and gets up and down the stairs or to the washroom with me all night long when I cant sleep. He is a great caregiver! My pit bull mix dog stays lying curled up at my feet when I am on the couch! Pets are such a blessing and comfort. Wendy - not sure what a spiral CT is but wont they do any CT scan? Get xrays as often as possible (at least yearly?!) if thats all they will do.

Wow JC I was 8 yrs old in 75! That seems like a long time to fight to me. Thank you! Read teh Toronto Star article below - it says we are about 20 yrs behind breast cancer - I would be happy to hope that in 20 years LC could be as beatable as BC is now. Of course, it would be nice if it happened a whole lot sooner! NED - this was recently published in Toronto and my sister sent me the link. I hope it works as lots of great info on women and lc unfortunately most in Canada and LC in general. Really impactful world info from Global Lung Cancer Coalition which says says lung cancer consumes one human being every 30 seconds – more than breast and prostate cancer combined, with another 1.2 million new cases diagnosed every year. It also talks about an early detection program they are trying here in Toronto's cancer hospital that start CT scans at 50 for smokers and ex-smokers if you qualify. WOMEN AND CANCER Lung cancer poses deadliest threat - by far http://www.thestar.com/article/260536 Thanks again for all you are doing. Those are the kind of bridges we must build together. And thanks for saying its ok to not behave and be outspoken!

Hank - Oh boy - you are my type - a political/social fighter! Thanks for sharing that. The problem with LC is that so many of us are so weak and then too many of us die and apparently this is one of the big mitigating variables (besides stigma)about why there is not more action. Too few of us to fight. I just realized BC might have had the advantage that many of its patients were/are younger than lc on diagnosis but that may be my misperception as I know their survival rates were horrible before the research and advances too. I was happy to hear that BC survival rates are 90%. I think its so great they helped HIV/AIDS activism! Wish there was more progress there too btw. Its also why its a blessing that our loved ones do. This site and so many people on here are such a inspiration to the fight. But we need way more. I live in Toronto, a huge city and we should have an annual high profile LC fund raiser and I dont believe it exists. Oh there are small ones but guess what - minuscule to no media coverage. Thanks so much for your post. Feel free to PM me anytime if you want. JC - Yes nice to meet a fellow Canadian. I know there must be more on here! I have talked to people about this site in a lung cancer support group and another woman was on here too I think and I gave the address to the facilitator so maybe more Cdns will hear about it. OMG - those are horrible stories. I am very glad to here there is more funding. I got very fast treatment too but I also figured it was because it was stage 3 under 1st diagnosis, then 4 under PET. There was a media article in the Globe and Mail that too many hospitals are not meeting the mandated time for treatment commencement once the patient is "treatment-ready", which I think is 4 weeks. I am sorry that we have better in Ontario; I think this is wrong. We need a single standard of care/drugs/access etc across the country. Ummm I am not on many message boards (2 only incl this one) but I think I may have exhibited bad etiquette by posting about an adjunct issue to original. Very sorry and will try to behave! NED - I wish you the best of luck Ned with your activism! I am always touched when men stand up to help women! This weekend there is a breast cancer fund raiser walk/run but there is also a division of it that you can sponsor another charity and my sister is doing it for lung cancer org I got that data. I am trying to go and just got wheelchair in case I am up to and I plan on wearing a t-shirt about LC and I am not sure what to say either. Maybe item 4 - LC kills more women than any other cancer but I wonder if it will offend...

Please dont feel any guilt about being a caregiver and working!!! I am a patient and would hate anyone who is my caregiver to feel like that. I am lucky that my partner, my son and my sister all help out and my dad constantly offers and my step mother recently stopped working and she has offered as well. But I would hate to think any of them would feel guilt about still working - taking care of yourself and your family is just as important, otherwise you cant take care of your mom. Remember to take care of yourself - do whatever you can to give yourself a break and keep up your energy. GL

I just realized the test results section would have been more appropriate - I worry that the WBR didnt work 100% as still seem to have some cognitive functioning issues and language too. thanks for the responses. I agree way easier than chemo and much different time period of treatment although they offered me chemo after too which I thought was strange but didnt agree to nor jump on asking due to exhausted state. Yea the steroids are hell. I really hate them. I am going to contact my med onc and ask her why she offered the chemo for brain mets.

Hi Randy, I have missed you and the others and the chat! I came but after 10 pm - I know its a little late for y'all.... Hope all is well - like the pic of the dog! PS I have had to edit all my recent posts but I dont if brain functioning or insomnia from steroids! lol hmm maybe both

sorry Recce - I didnt mean to infringe on your post but I recently got more bad news and my anger and pity for LC has its back up and of course given the stats of LC vs BC where I live this was an issue for me as soon as I learned of the inequity. Like some women are more valuable than others. Here is some info from http://www.lungcancercanada.ca/dyk.html Did you know that there are important differences between men and women with respect to lung cancer? * Women are 1.5 times more likely than men to develop lung cancer.1 * Women who never smoked are more likely to develop lung cancer than men who have never smoked.2 * Researchers are finding that the effects of tobacco seem to be far more damaging to women than men.3 * Lung cancer kills more women than any other cancer.4 * In addition to the burden of lung cancer on women as patients, women are often the primary caregivers of the 12,200 men who are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. * Over the last 30 years, lung cancer has increased in young women and decreased in young men ages 20-44.5 References: 1JAMA. 2004; 291:1768 Lung Cancer in US Women 2JAMA. 2004; 291:1768 Lung Cancer in US Women 3JAMA. 2004; 291:1768 Lung Cancer in US Women 4Canadian Cancer Society, 2004 5Ontario Cancer Registry, 2001 Looks like the data is a little old by the reference dates. JC Sorry to hear about Quebec and I know Ontario is also behind in approving the latest drugs. But I also know we get great treatment and the drugs used are still the most common ones. I hear BC is up on the latest. I was(am?) a commercial property manager when the Smoke-Free Ontario Act was first implemented and when its different phases were enacted and I have to tell you even as a smoker, I was so pleased to put it into effect in my properties.

Well it recently spread to my brain - 2 tumours and numerous nodules. Had the WBR thing - gawd I remember when I had no idea what that was. It has brought HUGE relief and return of functioning for now but things are still not "perfect"....haha like thats gonna happen. Anyway, can anyone give some advice on what this part of the game will be like?? I am scared and worried that it is getting very serious.

We are all entitled to the angry moments. I like what someone said about it giving energy too! And the pity moments are ok too - I call it visiting pity city; we - my family and I - are just not allowed to live there. I also am grateful for the time I have with those I love. The daily news reminds me of the people who have no notice of time left due to accidents etc and hence no time to savour life,love and family (try to avoid the depression of the news lately). I dont cry about my disease very much but I did tonight and although I have chosen to try to life my life without hate, I HATE this disease and what it does to us.

I know we are all in this cancer battle together but I was angered to find out in Canada (and I think the US too), that lung cancer kills more people than the other top 3 cancers - breast, colon, prostate - but gets less funding than any of them!! Something like breast 11.2 thousand vs lung 1.2. Breast cancer survivor rates are so great now because of the awareness, education and research funding and I just wish that lung was given the same respect. I would love to see LC get the kind of support community wide that BC does! Is it really necessary to limit it to women who never smoked? It makes me think that it reinforces the attitude that we did it to ourselves and hence deserve it or at least what did we expect?! We are ALL worth saving even us dirty smokers. Our damn governments who allowed the drug to be pushed and the companies who make the product and knew how addictive it is should be funding the research in a big way until survival rates are up there. Sorry for the rant.

Hi Will, I dont know anything about the trial drug but Randy seems to have provided some good info. Not sure if your wife's health is good otherwise but I would choose fight! I did carbo and taxol the 2 chemo drugs that are part of option 3 and while not easy it did shrink the tumours! I am now preparing to go for radiation to try to shrink what is left. While it is nice to have all your options presented what did the onc suggest?? Good luck!!!

Sorry Randy I totally misunderstood!! I remember when this was on the news in Canada and it made me so mad that no one would fund the studies becuase it was not lucrative! I am glad to hear it is getting some kind of testing even if not in a controlled study.

Not sure if helpful but what about a fentynal(sp?) patch? Also Senokot might help.

Glad to hear you are happy with the treatments and the docs! I am in the east end - beaches area. I dont understand if you are downtown why you are not at PMH but must be because NYH referred you to sunnybrook...I have talked to some of the radiation techs at sunnybrook and they seem awesome! I find out tomorrow if I will be undergoing radiation treatment depending on results of latest ct scan. Also, in case you are interested, there is a support group for lung cancer patients and their partners/caregivers that meets at Wellspring at the Sunnybrook site on the third Wed of the month at 1 pm on a drop in basis. You and your husband would be most welcome of course!

Hi Salt, I just wanted to say hello and tell you that I am in Toronto too! Where is your husband being treated? I am at PMH. Best of luck to you both.

This forum is only discussion! Why would one not be able to provide info?! This seems ridiculous....this is a message board/forum for support and it is a given that all or at least most are not doctors and not providing medical advice....I dont get why not able to provide links for information regardless of status.

Hi, I am a 39 year old female diagnosed with stage 4 nsclc. I am undergoing chemo and it appears to be shrinking the primary tumour they can see on the xray. I am in Canada and am wondering about radiation treatment after chemo but my oncologoist doesnt seem on board as the cancer is incurable. I just want the best chance I have to live as long as I can.