karenl Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Hi all. I have been 'eavesdropping' on this site for several months now, since my mother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. You seem to be a wonderfully caring group of people, and my heart goes out to all of you and your loved ones as we all battle this demon. My mother is currently asymptomatic (tumour picked up in a routine chest x-ray) and has started chemo, which she is tolerating well. My question is regarding radio frequency ablation. The recent stats I have seen with this technique look very promising, so why isn't everyone rushing out to have it done?? I look forward to your input. Thanks for listening (reading??!!) Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betplace Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Karen, I can't answer your question (others can ) but welcome to our group. I am glad you found us, though sorry for your need to find us. Blessings Betty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Well if you search you'll see several recent posts on RFA. One person's father recently had it done and someone else is awaiting an appointment to see if it's a possibility. It's not something that can be done on everyone, wasn't an option for my husband. It also requires most people to travel (it's wasn't offered yet in Mi. when I checked) and the cost is high. I am so glad you quit hiding and came out and introduced yourself. Welcome. Rochelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenl Posted January 17, 2004 Author Share Posted January 17, 2004 Hi again Thanks for taking the time to respond. I have done a bit of reading on RFA, and thought that perhaps my mum could be a candidate for debulking of the primary tumour, although she has involvement of the mediastinal lymph node, for which I presume that RFA is not an option. Just wanted to touch base and see what experience or information you might have on the subject. I am writing from Australia, and have not been able to find anywhere local that practices RFA, so it would likely require travelling to the US anyway!! We are trying alot of complementary/alternative treatments in our efforts to beat this thing, including nutrition, supplements, meditation, removal of geopathic stress (an interesting area that some of you might like to look into!!!), and as much positive thinking as we can muster. Thanks again for your replies, and I look forward to getting to know you. My thoughts are with you all, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 RFA is a viable alternative for those that are inoperable otherwise. Another treatment that only a few are trained to do is lobectomy by VATS . Surgery is done through a scope so the recovery time is shorter and a lot less pain. Many thoracic surgeons use it for biopsys but few are trained to remove lobes or the entire lung this way . We have a doctor here at the U of Minnesota, I saw a movie of him removing a lung. Good luck on your quest to be informed. Welcome Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norme Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Karen, when I checked into RFA for my husband when the 3 tumors were in the brain, they chose whole head radiation first, then said if the were to come they would consider RFA. Then when they said he had mets in his liver, again I checked, and was told being he has cancer else where too, they would not do it. I do know that in order to do RFA the tumors have to be a certain size, cannot be to small nor to large. Location would also be a factor. That is about all I know on this subject. Hope your mom is feeling somewhat better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenl Posted January 18, 2004 Author Share Posted January 18, 2004 Thanks again for sharing your experiences and information. I have been on a huge fact-finding mission for the last 6 months, and alot of useful stuff has come from this site. Here's hoping everyone has a great day today. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 The other thing I found when I checked into RFA was that some doctors have such a waiting list they will not take patients over a certain stage. They prefer to take patients they know they will have success with. My husband was not a candidate due to the mediastinum being involved. Somewhere on this board is an entire list of the RFA sites, posted a long long time ago (was it tiny that posted it?) But I'm sure by now you've found most on your own. Best wishes to you~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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