fauna13 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Hello all, I have posted before but will give a brief summary in case anyone wants it. My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer in November of 2018. Her tumor was approximately 3.5 by 5 cm and in the middle lobe. She had regional lymph node involvement. She was otherwise in good health. Ultimately she has concurrent chemoradiation followed by surgery to remove the lobe. Her body handled the chemoradiation well (she did have a few trips to the ER but all in all, it went well). She was able to have two courses with no extreme side effects. Surgery was without complications. On removal all involved lymph nodes and the tumor looked dead. The pathology report confirmed that this was the case. Scans show no cancer elsewhere. Monday the 20th will be a follow up appointment with her medical oncologist and radiologist. We are so lucky and thankful that things have gone so well for her. However, we still want to make sure that we ask any important questions when we meet with the doctors on Monday. I researched this treatment options extensively but have found little on this topic. Can any one advise what they think we should ask at this point? Perhaps anyone can share what they wish they has asked, but didn't know at the time to ask? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 It sounds like the treatments are affective. That’s good news. I would ask. 1. What kind of lung cancer was it if you don’t already know? 2. Were there specific bio markers of the tumor? That helps predict the potential for recurrence and follow up treatment if necessary. 3. If it does recur what are the treatment options? 4. If they put her in three month scan follow ups ask if there is any symptoms that would require calling and moving the scans up. Pain, shortness of breath, fever, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fauna13 Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 Hi Curt, thank you for sending some questions. I knew about bio-markers but had no idea they could provide information regarding recurrence. Thank you for that info. It is strange as they tested her for all of the bio-markers but didn't even review the report with us. We've asked numerous times but they keep saying it is currently irrelevant as chemorad and surgery are the best options. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 All biomarker testing isn’t created equal. Some panels test for more mutations than others. It could be that your moms testing didn’t find any mutations, which is why it was irrelevant. I’d ask to review the results with a geneticist. The jury is out on whether certain mutations have a higher risk of recurrence, but it’s good to know if/what she has as that information becomes more clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 Fauna, Sometimes after surgery, a.course of chemo is prescribed but, sometimes it is not. I’d say if no more treatment is prescribed, do the NED dance. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fauna13 Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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