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Hello. Aunt recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. Need some guidance.


harsh_m

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Hello,

My name is Harsh and I live in Jersey City, New Jersey.  My aunt was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 (I believe) Lung cancer.  She lives in Bangalore, India.  She just started seeing an Oncologist in India but I want to explore options here in USA as she is open to coming to the USA for treatment. 

I have just started reading and learning more about Lung Cancer.  I would appreciate any guidance you can provide on how I can go about exploring available options in the US for foreigners (where do I start, who do I reach out, etc.).   

Thank you

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Welcome Harsh.   My first thought when I started reading your post was , I wonder if her insurance covers treatment in another country ?  

It is a long trip from India to the US also.   Then I began to wonder if any of the trial studies accept people from outside the US.    Perhaps 

you could look into that. I believe on this web site some studies are talked about.  How old is your Aunt ?   Is she otherwise in good health? 

It is a blessing that she has you as a support person.  Keep us posted on how she is doing.

 

Donna G

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Hi Harsh,

I'm very sorry to hear about your aunt.  Any cancer diagnosis is never a happy time.  Donna had some really great suggestions about things to check into regarding the possibility of your aunt coming to the US for treatment.  On the diagnosis and treatment side of things, there are a couple of important things to ask:  1) Make sure that it is lung cancer that your aunt has and find out what kind (adenocarcinoma, small cell, non-small cell, etc) and verify the stage they believe her to have.  2) Ask if she had a biopsy. If she did, ask if it has been checked for various biomarkers or mutations. These tests will help docs come up with the best treatment plan possible.

Once you verify that your aunt does have lung cancer, I suggest you and your family take a good look at Lungevity's website.  A good place to start is here: https://lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/lung-cancer-101/recently-diagnosed   You can then navigate through the various topics to help educate yourself.  Most of us on this site are huge advocates for either ourselves or our loved ones.  Treatments and best practices are rapidly changing in lung cancer and we need to keep ourselves educated to ensure we are getting the best and most proper care.  

The journey of lung cancer can be a long one.  I have only been on the journey with my mom since 2015, but you will meet others who have been travelling down the road for much longer.  Each of their stories provide us hope because they are not only surviving, but LIVING.

Please feel free to ask any questions you or your family may have.  We are not doctors, but have a wealth of personal knowledge to share.

Take Care,

Steff

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Harsh,

Welcome here.

Your plan for your aunt receiving cancer care in the US is a good one.  Be mindful, however, that cautions from Donna and Steff are good ones.  I'll add one more point to consider before launching your aunt to the US.  Depending on her type of lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, small cell, non-small cell and a multitude of sub types) she may find US "standard of care" treatment readily available in India.  In fact, for certain types of lung cancer, India's standard of care exceeds the US. That is why Steff's suggestion of getting a complete diagnostic work up is so important.

Where the US leads the way is in innovative lung cancer trials, particularly in immunotherapy and targeted therapy. But you won't know if these trials will benefit your Aunt until the results of her full diagnostic work up, including very important biopsy biomarker, results are known.

Keep us in the loop as her diagnostics progress.

Stay the course.

Tom

 

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Hi, Harsh,

Welcome to LCSC. I am glad that you've already made connections with some of our experienced moderators.

Please feel free to explore the site and ask questions. This is a good place to find support, information, and hope! I am happy to provide you with additional information about LUNGevity's support and education programs if you'd like. Know that we are here for you!

With gratitude,

Lauren
--
Digital Community Manager
LUNGevity Foundation

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