Sue C Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 I'm here for support, questions, support and more support. My partner of 12 years was diagnoised in April 2005 with non small cell cancer adenocarcinoma. Quit smoking in '88.There was a small mass in the upper left lung, and they found 1 positive node in the A/P window.She had an upper lobectomy in May 2005. She underwent 4 cycles of Carboplatin and Taxol. All scans were looking good till this Sept when a PET showed a "slight uptake" in the lymph nodes in the A/P window. She had a bronchoscopy, which did not get "enough" tissue to give a "good "diagnosis. She underwent a mediastinoscopy in Nov and they removed a "few" nodes in the same area but were unable to remove one that was in the area of the Aorta/Pulmonary artery area. It is about 1.7 x 1.8 cm. We meet with the radiologist this week for treatment plan. Oncologist wants to start her on Tarceva after radiation. When she had her original surgery the doc said, we'll remove the upper lobe, have the chemo and you'll be off to live your life. Guess we were very niave. We have tons of questions, does this recurrance mean survival rate is less than 5 years? Do we start a new 5 year countdown for survival? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trish2418 Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Welcome, Sue. I'm sorry you guys find yourselves having to walk this walk again. I don't have the answers to your questions, but I'm sure someone more knowledgable than me will be along with the answers soon. You'll see that there are many of us here having great success with Tarceva. I hope it does its magic with your partner. Keep us posted. Trish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Welcome! We have many survivors here, so take heart. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Welcome Sue~ I am not clear from your post if the removed nodes were how they determined the recurrence? I am sorry you and your partner are facing this again. Tarceva was very successful for my husband. Please take a minute to fill out your profile and location so we know what state you are in. I wish you well -- I am glad you found us. Rochelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needhope Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Hi Sue, This is a great site with many resources and lots of survivor stories that will give you hope. Best of luck to you and your partner, Needhope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue C Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share Posted December 11, 2006 Ry, Yes they did remove nodes during the mediastinoscopy, however there was 1 they couldn't get due to where it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick C Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Sue, Welcome to you. I don't know what any of it "means" but what I do know is there are many here who have beat the clock, threw the clock out, know even a broken clock is right 2 X a day and basically defy the "clock". A lot of survivors here!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernrol Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Welcome, Tarceva has helped many people. It is one of the drugs that I took. I have been cancer free since November 2005. Stay positive, Ernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Since this is the second journey, I do not know how much of this you know already. Adeno is the most common Lung Cancer and the mostr researched. That in itself is a breath of fresh air I think. Great to get some good news. Tarceva is considered a maintenance drug I think, more so than a curative drug. The sideeffects range from the usual chemo side effects to skin rashes primarily. Use lots of good moisturizer with this drug. It is a take at home of course so Hospital visits are minimalized. HAng in there, things are going to be ok. THere will be ups and downs, and we will be there for the downs and the ups to. Sending Prayers for strength and courage tonite. Keep us posted whenever you want and whatever you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Hi Sue: So, I take it that the nodes that were removed were tested to be positive for cancer. If your partner is going to be doing radiation, she might inquire about cyberknife or image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Cyberknife is very accurate and can kill the cancer near the Aorta Pulmonary artery without touching the artery. But maybe it is more appropriate to use conventional broad beam radiation on the mediastinal area to make sure no other nodes have cancer, I am not sure. IGRT is another form of targeted radiation that has a focused beam. It is not as accurate as cyberknife, takes more treatments to finish and it also kills the cancer while conserving adjacent healthy tissue. I had IGRT to kill a small tumor in my remaining lung last summer. I did not do cyberknife, because I had only one lung and cyberknife requires penetration of the lung to place metal markers and this would present a risk of lung collapse, which is not a good thing if you have only one lung. IGRT does not need fiducials. Your partner may very well be taking the best course of treatment possible. I thought I would just mention to you the targeted therapies that are available now. Here is a link to a cyberknife site where you can ask questions. http://www.cyberknifesupport.org/forum/default.aspx?c=4 I think the 5-year countdown begins after the latest cancer. I have been dealing with cancer for 3 years now, but I will have to be cancer free for 5 years after my last cancer to be pronounced, “cured”. I have a little over 4 years to go. I am still alive though, and I feel good. I am just slowed down. I am not sure where I fit in the statistics and I don’t care. I figure I will outlive the cancer. Your partner should not try to pigeonhole herself into any class of statistics either…just beat the cancer. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom K Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Ask your doctor if he is treating this cancer with “curative intent”. If not, you may want to seek another opinion. The “Squeaky Wheel” cliché is defiantly true when being treated for cancer. If it is only one lymph node on the same side of the chest as the original cancer, you should seek and ask for aggressive treatment (assuming your partner is otherwise healthy enough to tolerate the treatment). From the little you have told us, it sounds like you and your partner have lots of reasons to be hopeful that this will be resolved. There are a lot of survivors posting on this site because they found a physician who was willing to be aggressive in their treatment. Good luck to both of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryanne Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Welcome here Sue. Sorry to hear the news about your partner. Just know that Lc is not Death Sentence, there are so many different treatments. Also I see she had an operation, she was very lucky' Only 1 in 4 is operable so she is blessed there. I pray she does well with Tarceva Maryanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marym Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 I'm sorry you have the ned to find this board, but welcome. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue C Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 Thanks for all your replys! We'll be able to be a little more prepared as we start our new journey. I'm sure I'll have tons of questions as we go along, I'm glad I found you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welthy Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Sue, Let me also toss in my "Welcome" to you. The fact that you have found us means you are doing a lot to help your partner through her struggle with the beast. Bless you for caring enough to research and communicate with others in similar situations. Sounds like there is more than enough treatments out there for her and they are just beginning. It appears she is still early stage, even with the recurrance, and for that you two should be thankful. Good luck as she begins treatment and I hope Tarceva does well for her. Keep in touch! Welthy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mary colleen Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Sue, A belated welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanie55 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Hi Sue, Not sure how to answer your questions, but would just like to say welcome and hope we can be of some help. Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue C Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 We saw the radiation oncologist this morning and are scheduled for her CT and mapping/markings tomorrow. She should be able to start treatment next week. The information I have come across on this site has been a blessing! I feel more prepared when we meet with docs and I think the stomach kicked feelings have lessened because I am able to digest tretment plans and explanations. For this I will be eternally grateful! On a computer question, how do I list our journey so far, I see so many of you have? Thanks again Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernrol Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 click MY PROFILE at the top, fill out all the info, add a picture if you like and thats it. You can allways go back and edit it so don't worry about a mistake. Make sure you select to add signature to your post. Stay positive, Ernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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