berisa Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 My dad is scheduled to have the PCI very soon. My dad is going to have the CT Scan next Monday (9/15) for evaluating the chemo & radio performance and will have the head moulding for PCI either on 9/15 or 9/17. My Dad asked the Dr. what if the tumor is not completely shrunken, will he need to have more rounds of chemo. The Dr. answered that they will not do any further rounds of chemo even the tumor is not completely shrunken bcoz my dad could not afford additional rounds of chemo (But, I don't think so, this in fact is not the reason bcoz my Dad's health condition is very good). Is it the normal practise? The Dr. also didn't mention to do the brain MRI prior to doing PCI, is it a MUST to have the brain MRI to verify no met to brain before doing PCI?? Please help answering these 2 questions. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny G. Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 Hi Berisa, I can tell you from my experience that they would not do more than the 6 rounds of chemo, my doctor considered that the maximum. I think it is just too toxic. I don't know how they proceed after that, maybe more is possible after a break. I did have an MRI of the brain before the PCI. If there was something already there, they would then give special attention to that as well as doing the whole brain, but maybe they consider it an extra step since they will do it all anyway and if there are no symptoms. I had to wait and have a PET scan after the CT to make sure the cancer was gone because the CT did show a small spot. It turned out to be scar tissue I guess, so we were able to proceed. Jenny[/code] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rinksgal Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 What is a PCI ?? I'm just curious.. Also what is six rounds of chemo? Our doctor calls them regimens or series... Darrell has already had two regimens of chemo and is into the 3rd day of the third regimen.. All 3 lasting 6 days each.. (cisplatin and vp-16)...Then sometime the first part of oct. he will be starting another regimen , of taxotere, 3 doses, each being 3 weeks apart. So is this 4 rounds? or do you count each day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remembering Dave Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 Rinksgal--PCI--in laymans terms-- is preventative brain radiation. It is a low dosage of radiation which is administered to patients who have had a good response to the other treatments. It was explained to me that they administer PCI due to the fact that the Chemo. drugs go everywhere in the body but it has a hard time breaking the blood brain bariers. The radiation helps prevent the cancer from returnin in the brain. Sounds like our rounds are the same as you series. Sounds like you partner is doing pretty good with good shrinkage. Keep us updated, we are here for you. David C. Berisa, I was also told that 6 rounds of chemo is the maximum your body can tolerate. The Brain MRI is also standard before PCI from what I understand. DavidC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norme Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 Berisa, I will be praying hard for your father so that all goes well. Chemo is such a good drug but it is also deadly if one is given to much. Next time you see the dr ask him to explain a bit further so it doesn't leave you wondering. Also you might want to call him and ask about the brain scan before the operation. I guess you can look at that a few ways. If the cancer has met'd in the brain, your father is doing it anyway and if it hasn't he still is having it done. I would think that they will do a scan a few weeks after the PCI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea B. Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 I thought I would also point out that Sam informed me PCI is not currently used for NSCLC only SCLC. They are researching into using it for NSCLC. Berisa, I will be praying that all goes well for your father. Sorry I can't answer any of your questions. All my best. Andrea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berisa Posted September 11, 2003 Author Share Posted September 11, 2003 Thank you for your all answering and listening. We consulted another oncologist yesterday and he said 6 rounds of chemo is enough. He said CT Scan is good enough to evaluate my Dad's progress, he said CT Scan can only detect abnormality of where there is already more than 1 billion cancerous cells. Whereas, if the no. of those cancerous cells at one spot which is less than 1 billion, CT cannot detect. He also said, there is no need to have the brain MRI because CT scan plays the same role as MRI already. Is that true? Pray for my dad's scan result. Forget the capability of CT, Hope NED at all................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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