lkraham

Hi. So sorry about your Mom. I'm sure others will respond with much more helpful info than I -- there are so many people with so much to share on this site. I can only tell you that my mother started treatment without any kind of genomics testing (I was very anxious for her to get started right away) and she went through a whole course of treatment without any real success. Then, a new doctor sent her biopsy out for the genomics testing to determine the best course of action, and she is now undergoing a different combination of drugs. We'll see how that goes. So, I'm not sure how to answer your question. It probably can't hurt to start the chemo, but on the other hand, my Mom's doctor then needed her to wait a month to get the current treatment through her system before starting the new drugs, so it may be better to wait the two weeks. I assume that the test will not just tell her whether Tarceva is an option, but perhaps tell which other chemo drugs she'll be most likely to respond to. That was the case for my Mom. Best of luck with this difficult decision making. Wishing the very best for your mother.

Hi, All. Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good medical oncologist, specializing in lung cancer, in south Florida. My mom just completed her radiation therapy and chemo 8x and next steps will be determined at the end of the month. She'll likely start a new round of chemo, cisplatin and navelbine, 2 weeks on and 1 week off for the next 3 months. First, does anyone have experience with these drugs and what we might expect in terms of side effects compared with the carbo/taxol she received so far? My parents usually spend the winter in Delray Beach, FL and they'd really like to do that this winter also. The doctor said she can certainly continue the regimen down there, but she'll need to find an oncologist. Wondering if any of you are from that area and can recommend someone or at least a good hospital that she should consider. Thanks! Leslie

I know I saw some posts on here about those of you who experienced numbness and tingling in your fingers as a result of chemo. I can't seem to find those posts now so I'm starting this new one to try to learn from those of you who have had this experience. My mother is on taxol/carbo and concurrent radiation and after her 4th infusion has now started to experience a constant tingling in her fingers. The doctors said to wait it out over the weekend and if it's not better by Monday, they will likely decrease her Taxol. Not sure if this is a good thing as clearly we want the correct does of chemo to cure this cancer, but I guess they know best. Can anyone share their experiences and advice? Thanks as always, Leslie

Thanks again for the suggestion to post on Cancergrace. I did and heard back from two doctors with some very helpful responses. I honestly don't know what I would do without this group. You have helped so much when I was feeling so lost.

Thank you all for taking the time to get back to me. You're so supportive and a great resource. Kasey, I called you at home and left a message. Hope to talk with you soon. Judy, thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to go post this on cancergrace.org now and see if they have any advice for us. It's all so stressful and confusing and I just don't want to make the wrong choices and risk having anything less than the best possible outcome for my mother.

Hi, Everyone. Just wanting to get your opinions and experience. My mother was diagnosed with Stage IIIa Squamos Cell Carcinoma in July. Tumor was fairly large and close to the esophagus with some spread to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest. Doctors told her to start chemo (carbo/taxol 1x/week for 6-7 weeks) and radiation 5x week for 33 treatments. They decided that after the 24th, they'd do a cat scan to determine whether the tumor had shrunk enough and away from the esophagus to make surgery an option. That cat scan is scheduled for next Friday, the 17th. Now, all of a sudden and for no apparent reason, the surgeon told the radiation oncologist to proceed with the full course of radiation, and in fact, they have increased the plan to 37 treatments, at which point, they say surgery will not be an option any longer. They say that they are going for a curative treatment with the chemo/radiation and that surgery would only increase the chance of a cure by 2-3% so it's not worth the risk. I'm concerned about this for a few reasons. First, it seems to me that surgery, if it can be done, is the best chance for a good outcome. What if she continues with the other treatment and it doesn't get rid of the cancer and then the surgery is no longer an option? Where does she go from there? Second, why did the surgeon change the plan without any scans or rationale that we're aware of (she had a pulmonary function test that went very well by the way)? She's well into her treatment and it's hard to stop for a second opinion when she's going for daily treatment. Does anyone have a clear sense of how many grays of radiation you can receive before surgery is out? Any other thoughts and suggestions about any of this? On top of all of this, her medical oncologist who we really like is leaving the center while she's in the middle of treatment, so that's upsetting. It's just so hard to know what's right. You want to trust the doctors and my parents are inclined to listen to what they say, but I feel that we really need to do lots of research and be sure we know the options and take responsibility for her healthcare. Any thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated. Leslie

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and all of your advice. It really does help so much and I'm glad to meet you all, even under these terrible circumstances.

Hello everyone. I am new here. My mother, an otherwise perfectly healthy 65 year old, was just diagnosed with Lung Cancer a week and a half ago. This has come as a complete shock to all of us, and I am just devastated. I'm trying to deal with this the best I can and do as much research as possible so that I can help her understand all her treatment options and make the best possible decision. I've been reading through so many of your posts, and just your storied and information in your signatures has been such an inspiration. I would like my mother to join this group as I can tell that you all offer each other incredible support and advice and it seems invaluable. All of your stories, good and bad, have brought me to tears and I wish the best to everyone of you. Since we're so new to the process, and didn't even know all of the questions to ask, I'm still a bit uncertain of all of the details. My mother has a large tumor in her right lung, near the esophagus, and a small lesion in the left. She had a biopsy of the small one yesterday and will have one done of the large in the next week or so. At this point, they are giving her the benefit of the doubt and assuming, based on appearance, that they both primaries, which would put her at a stage IIIa. We have been told that the course of action will be radiation 5x/week for a total of 31-33 treatments and chemo 1x/week for 6 weeks and that surgery is not an option. I'm not entirely clear why it's not an option. One doctor said something about the mediastinum being invaded thus ruling out the surgery and the other said surgery would require removal of the whole lung, so it's not an option. But, I see in some of your posts that lung removal can be effective, so I'm wondering if we should be pushing for this. Also, how many treatments of radiation will eliminate surgery as an option down the road? Someone here mentioned that they had 3 opinions saying non-surgical and then finally a 4th opinion at NIH agreed to the surgery. I did not know that patients can see doctors at NIH. Can anyone recommend a doctor? We are in NJ, but of course, we're willing to travel. Sorry for so many questions, but I'm feeling a bit desperate for info right now. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.