Holly8738 Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 My mom went to the hospital for Gastro issues and the cat scan picked up a 4.3 lung mass. They did a biopsy and the result was atypical cells suggestive of malignancy. She was referred to an onocologist who ordered a pet scan which showed an suv max of 5.9 . The dr wanted her to have another biopsy because he said not enough cells were obtained from the first . My mother refused and said she wants to see about radiation so he is scheduled to see a radiology oncologist. She has no symptoms of cancer and the mass was found by chance I would appreciate opinions as to if we are taking the right path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Holly, My opinion? I'd do both. I'd have a second biopsy to determine the type of lung cancer, then I'd fry it with precision radiation (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy or SBRT) if surgery is not an option. I can understand doctors reluctance to perform surgery given your mom's age, but I do think another biopsy is prudent. Regardless, a single mass in the lung is able to be "fried" with SBRT and results compare favorable to surgical treatment. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly8738 Posted March 23, 2020 Author Share Posted March 23, 2020 Tom thank you for your reply. My mom originally said she was going to do nothing her thought being old age will take her before anything else. Her primary dr convinced her to do radiation and referred her to do an oncologist. She wasn’t expecting to be asked to do another biopsy and adamantly refused so she was referred to a radiology onocologist whom we will be seeing this Thursday I looked up the SBRT radiation you mentioned and it sounds like a good option . Her mass is 4.3 so I hope she is a candidate for SBRT treatment this is all new to me and I am concerned about what to expect from any side effects. Her primary dr made it sound like there were none but i’m reading otherwise. My mother is so nervous over this it’s affecting her mentally and it’s heartbreaking for me to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 Holly, I can't recall any side effects from my SBRT treatment. Before the treatment, I had a minor surgical procedure to insert 5 one mm gold balls around my tumor. Some SBRT technologies do not require this process but if your mom needs this, it is an easy procedure, she won't feel a thing and she'll have light anesthesia. Then, she'll need to have a CT scan that might be lengthy to plot the actual location of these balls (also called fiducals). Finally, they will make a mold of her using a latex material to ensure she is in the same position each scan. My SBRT took about 15 minutes from start to finish and it was performed 3 consecutive days. Several weeks after treatment, she'll have a post CT scan to assess the results. I know this might be troubling for your mom but compared to other cancer procedures, SBRT is a piece of cake. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly8738 Posted March 23, 2020 Author Share Posted March 23, 2020 Tom, thank you so much and sharing your experience. Knowing what to expect takes expect takes some of the fear off what is a very stressful situation . Stay well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUNGevityKristin Posted March 23, 2020 Share Posted March 23, 2020 Tom has given great advice, I just wanted to share Lung Cancer 101 with you. It has great information on testing, treatment options, etc. https://lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/lung-cancer-101 Please keep us updated on your mom. Thinking of you both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly8738 Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 Mom was seen by her radiologist onocologist and she will be starting SBRT treatments. She will be going April 1st to be measured,April 2nd to be fitted for the mold with 5 SBRT treatments to be scheduled. I will keep posting her progress as she goes through this journey. Once again thanks for your input it is appreciated more than you know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly8738 Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 Well mom had the mold done for her treatments and was scheduled to start her SBRT treatments today but we ran into a problem. Mom was taken in the drs office and set up for her first treatment but they couldn’t line up the radiation properly ,dr said he needs 100% accuracy and wasn’t able to get it. We left being told they wanted her to come back and do another ct scan. A few hours later we get a call and we’re told the dr took another look at the two previous scans mom had done ,and since they showed itentical results ,he now things that the tech might have used too much compression causing the problem. we are scheduled to go back Monday and retry. Needless to say this is making my already nervous mother a wreck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly8738 Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 My mother completed her 5 SBRT treatments and is doing well . The compression was the problem and once adjusted everything went smoothly The doctor wants her back In three weeks to see how she’s doing and then three months later she is to have a ct scan to see the results of the treatment . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Holly, I'm so excited to learn your mom completed her SBRT treatments. For the benefit of this community and the uniqueness of your mom's treatment approach, I appreciate that you are continuing to provide information and insight into her progress. Thank you. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.