Oz Robbie Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 It's really good to talk with people who are in a similar position to me. I was dx 23/6/04 nsclc 2.5 cm tumour r lower lobe lymp node and mediastinum involvement boney mets to hip and femur. After 3 months of chemo cisplatin and venoralbin tumour shrunk to 1.5 cm. I feel really well ,a little discomfort in my hip groin area mild discomfort in my lung. I've noticed most people in this forum have had operations to remove affected lung ,this has not been mentioned as an option for me my Dr said they couldn't operate . Does anyone have any thoughts as to why surgery was not an option. Would love to hear from anyone in similar situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Welcome to the site. I would assume they did not operate because of the cancer traveling to the bone. It may have something to do also with the mediastinum and if the tumor is near veins etc. where they can't get a clean field if they operate. Your doctor should have explained the reason to you. My husband is inoperatble because the tumor is too close to his vena cava. Glad you are here, keep reading and learning. Rochelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Hello, and welcome to this site. I was Stage III and had to have chemo and radiation , check for response and then surgery. Sounds like you are Stage IV I would think chemo / and or radiation would be the first treatment. Sometimes , some doctors , depending on the circumstance and your response to treatment will do surgery , sometimes that is not possible because of the site of the tumor. If it helps, when they did do my surgery , they said the only thing left was scar tissue. Praying that could be true for you. Now keep us posted on how you are doing. Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justakid Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Welcome Oz- I can't give you any suggestions on non-operable. I was operable....we were dx about the same time. Good luck and keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindi o'h Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Hi Oz. It seems that the standard protocol here is to operate on stage llla or earlier...in general. In some cases, a stage lllb. For me. I had mets to the lymph nodes in the mediastinum. Both sides of the mediastinum. For some reason, that made me inoperable. I guess because the cancer had gotten away already. The doctor said that if the paratracheal lymphs had limited involvement to the side of the lung cancer, then they would have removed my lung without radiation treatment or perhaps after a short burst of chemo and /or radiation. After all of the radiation that I have now had, surgery is not an option for me. I have been told there is too much scar tissue and the scar tissue will not heal. I am still hoping that all those little buggers (cancer cells) were killed with the radiation and chemo that I did have. It is possible. Not probable, but possible. I am over two years out now since diagnosis, so I am continuing to cling to hope. I hope that is what you have too. Hope will get you far. Welcome. cindi o'h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Hi and welcome! As has been said, they usually don't operate on Stage IV because the cancer has already escaped to other areas of the body.(e.g., bones) Most doctors don't believe in putting someone through major surgery, with all the risks, if the cancer has already escaped. The primary reason for surgery is to "get all the cancer" and you can't get all the cancer if it has left the lung. Usually, chemo and radiation are the choices for Stage IV. Keep us posted on your progress. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calintay Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 No information on non-operable but welcome to the site. I am new here also and this is an awesome place to find. Good luck and my prayers are with you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Lamb Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Hi Oz, and welcome.This site has many,many knowing and caring people on it. There are also lots of reasons for being inoperable.Cancer having spread to other places as mentioned above,or tumor too close to other vital organs etc.There are many here who are doing well with radiation and chemo regimines. I was very fortunate as I was told initially I too was inoperable but did find a surgeon that was confident he could get it out of there. There are I feel several plans of treatment available to you.I wish you the best at whichever plan of attack you choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken f. Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 hi, the person to ask about why operate or not is a doctor. there are reasons to try surgery and reasons not to try. it can be helpful to try to rehearse your conversation with a dr. by making a list of questions in areas you are concerned about. it's necessary to follow up sometimes which means you have to pay attention to what is said by the dr. because the information is sometimes so striking, it is good to arrange to have someone with you to listen, if not help in understanding. don't be shy about what you don't know. you can't turn your care over to others completely. it works best if you are active as you are by inquiring here. best of luck. i hope you find a treatment or course that works well for you. yours, ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Hi Oz and WELCOME! My husband's lung tumor was also inoperable for the exact reasons (word for word) posted by Don Wood above. The good news is, though, that my husband is 17 mos. post-diagnosis and he is doing great, even without the surgery. I'm glad you found this site. I think you will find everyone here so helpful and willing to answer any question you have. No question is silly or stupid. None! So, ask away. We get carried away sometimes with our abbreviations and cyber talk and forget that some might not know what we mean. One thing that helps us a lot (and will help you, too, as you respond to others' posts) is to create a profile. Look at the bottom of all the posts on this thread to get ideas. Then go to "Profile" at the top of the page. Go down to where it says "Signature" and type your dad's info in the box provided. When you're finished, go to the bottom of the page and click submit. You can always make changes to your profile at any time. If you decide you want to put up a picture and need help, just let us know and someone will help you get that done, too. God bless you, Oz. Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz Robbie Posted January 20, 2005 Author Share Posted January 20, 2005 Help how do i ask the experts I'm not very good at navigating on the computer without my daughterto guide me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treebywater Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Just wanted to say Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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