karenl Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Hi All Just looking for a little info. Mum is considering having some radio for her primary lung tumour (not curative treatment, obviously, just hoping to debulk the tumour). Radio was not offered to her upon diagnosis, and she wasn't that keen to pursue it anyway due to potential side-effects, and her belief that her type of cancer would be unlikely to respond well, so she just went with chemo. Depending upon the success of the WBR which she has almost completed, she is considering having some radio to the lung tumour in the hope that debulking might prove beneficial, especially when it comes to her next line of chemo (probably Iressa/Tarceva). I know that many of you have had radio therapy to the primary tumour. I know that some of you have had lasting effects, and I am just wondering if this is the norm, or if most people are untroubled by it. I appreciate the fact that everyone responds differently, but I think it might help Mum to make her decision if she can hear some real-life examples. (From people whose treatment was never intended to be curative - I'm pretty sure that you would live with whatever side-effects radio therapy left you with if it also left you with NED !! ) I guess what I am asking is - if you had your time again, would you proceed with radio therapy, or would you give it a miss this time around? Many thanks for your input. Love and best wishes to you all. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilgna Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Given all the info, I would say I would still do radiation. I did do the max at 7 weeks, I had so few side effects during treatment, which is not typical, and now, several years later I do have aches and pains in the sites radiation was given. But I have had great results, considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Ry Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 I definitely would have had radiation again. My body is so messed up I do not know what side effect was cased by what. I believe it has extended my life a great deal. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Lucie did have radiation on what they surmise is the primary tumor, but it had migrated from the lung (lung clear) to the spine near it. She was given radiation because it would further damage the spine, and also to alleviate pain. Once a place is irradiated, it cannot be irradiated again, so that is something to keep in mind. Good luck. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarHart Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 I am currently looking into cyberknife radiology for my husband. This is a type of very precise, targeted radiation. They have just started doing lung tumors in the last year I think. From what I have read side effects are very minimal. I would suggest you look into this, just do a search under cyberknife. I am currently waiting to get copies of my husbands scans and will then send them to the Miami center for evaluation. From what I have researched this seems very promising. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Karenl I posted a link to all the cyberknife places in the world about a week ago. If I were to have radiation this is the ONLY type of radiation to the lung that I would even think about doing. It is precise and does not damage any surrounding lung tissue. My love to you and your mom and sister and whole family. elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Here is the info I posted on another thread. I checked the link and according to it, there are no cyberknife locations in Australia. Could she come to US? Japan? Anyway, here is the info: I am posting a link to where Cyberknife is available in the world. Cyberknife is actually different than some of the other radiation treatments that some Drs say is the same as the Cyberknife, from my understanding . Buyer beware, I guess. Anyway, at the least someone should research the various techniques before having any of them. http://www.cksociety.org/PatientInfo/Ck ... ations.asp Here is also a link to a page that describes the various technologies. Yes, it is on the Cyberknife page, but I doubt they are able to lie about their technology a lot, anyway. http://www.cksociety.org/PatientInfo/ra ... risons.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenl Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Thanks gang - as I expected, a bit of a mixed bag so far!! I didn't really expect that there would be cyberknife facilities here yet. I have just looked into Tarceva for Mum, and that is not available here yet either! Kinda frustrating, maybe she can get into a trial. Elaine, thanks so much for checking for me anyway. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Karen, Is your mum totally against regular radiation or can't have it for some reason? I know the chemo/radiation combo busted my husband's 7 cm. tumor into a bunch of little blobs. His tumor, however, was in a peripheral part of his lung, so there wasn't a lot of risk of damage to his airways. Prayers being said for your mum! Love, Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenl Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Hi Peggy Mum is not keen on radiation because of the damage to healthy tissue, and also she didn't expect her tumour would respond all that well. I guess that she is a bit more willing to explore the option, now that she has had her entire brain radiated!! She wants to wait and see how the brain mets respond prior to making any decisions, but obviously quality of life is very important, and she doesn't want to subject herself to therapy that may do more harm than good. I do remember doing some research into IMRT at the time of initial diagnosis (intensity modulated radiation therapy, so I might check that out again). Thanks for your input. It is encouraging to read about the success stories! Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.