Has anyone done this?

[JCM]

It seems there is little to no evidence to support that chemoradiation followed by lobectomy and then more chemotherapy is beneficial. It’s both the BEFORE and AFTER surgery that’s been studied.

As a patient I’m told I am in a gray area and that it’s pretty much up to me to decide this. I started out at Stage 3B with two tumors and mediastinal lymph node(s) involvement. I had chemo radiation to shrink tumors/lymph nodes followed by a lobectomy in right upper lung and wedge resection in right middle. I now have small but growing cancerous nodules in that same lung 3 months later. I can wait for a clinical trial getting regular scans or go ahead with chemo. Is there anyone who has done this level of treatment? How did it work out? I fear I am the only one around that has done this whole protocol! 

[Curt]

They are still working through the best protocol order of lobectomy/chemo/immunotherapy treatments .  I had a lobectomy with no chemo before and have had no signs of cancer after.  I asked if we should do chemo anyway to be sure and was told no.  I was told if another nodule appeared I would have to do chemo.   

[Tom Galli]

JCM,

I was also diagnosed IIIB and and pre-surgical chemoradiation. My first line treatment was 30 daily fractional treatments of conventional radiation and 6 infusions of adjuvant Taxol and Carboplatin.  Then I had surgery to remove my lung.

I was supposed to receive post surgical chemotherapy but surgical complication prohibited the treatment. After the complications, my remaining lung developed three tumors and I had 12 more infusions of Taxol and Carboplatin, the targeted therapy drug Tarceva, and CyberKnife stereotactic radiation that finally eliminated my lung cancer.

Stay the course.

Tom

[Punky]

Post surgical chemotherapy I believe is called adjuvant therapy.  It is shown to be more worthwhile for stages 2 and 3 but here again based on statistics.  Stage 1 doesn't benefit as much and not worth the side affects of chemo.  Stage 4 ok but doesn't have as high a percentage of doing good as stages 2 and 3.  Which if you ask me aren't all that great. However as long as I can tolerate the treatments I will try and finish the course.  It is given in 4 cycles or 8 treatments total.  It's a bummer taking the affects of chemo when you don't even know if you need it and can end up with a recurrence anyway.  If I follow through and do get a recurrence at least, I can say it wasn't because I didn't do the adjuvant therapy.   

 

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