Sarah37 Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Hi, I'm new here and just found out that my dad has squamous cell carcinoma. He just received his diagnosis today. It first showed up in his lungs but has spread to his right rib and spine. They are saying that it is in stage 3-4 and are referring him to an oncologist. I don't know much about it and am very worried for my dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Hi, Sarah, and welcome! Squamous cell lung cancer is probably the second-most common type of lung cancer (after adenocarcinoma). There are a number of strategies to treat even advanced forms, and research is advancing every day to find new drugs and treatments. One of our members here, Tom Galli (who will be along to welcome you shortly), has survived over 17 years with advanced squamous cell lung cancer, and has recently been pronounced "cured" by his longtime oncologist. Usually by the time cancer has spread to other organs, it's not considered "curable" but it's far from untreatable. Your dad might be treated with a combination of chemo and radiation and/or immunotherapy. It's totally normal to be worried, but plenty of reason to be hopeful, too. It takes a while to get your head around it and learn a whole new vocabulary. Glad you found us--this is a great place for information and support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah37 Posted May 11, 2021 Author Share Posted May 11, 2021 Thank you for the information and for welcoming me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Meant to add this link--it will get you started on educating yourself: https://lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/lung-cancer-101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Sarah, Welcome here! I was diagnosed in 2004 with stage IIIB squamous cell non small cell lung cancer. So I've got the same flavor as your dad and hopefully he'll share my outcome. I progressed to stage IV after surgery and had recurrences after progression. But, I'm still hanging around and if I can live, so can your dad. Lexie gave you a good resource to start learning about our disease. Here is something I normally share with the new folks. Pass it to your dad. Likely, your dad will have first-line standard of care for squamous cell. Normally that is radiation and chemotherapy. Since you reported a squamous cell diagnosis, your dad had a biopsy. It is important for the biopsy sample to be submitted for follow on laboratory testing to determine your dad's suitability for immunotherapy. Follow on lab testing is now pretty common, but this is important so I'd have your dad ask his doctor if this testing is being performed. I'm sure you'll have a ton of questions and will likely be overwhelmed with swallowing our strange lung cancer vocabulary. Here is a helpful glossary to help you get started. Questions? Ask away! Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouT Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Sarah, I'm sorry to hear about your father's diagnosis, but glad that you found our forum. Tom is a great example of what you will find here; a large group of people who share their experiences with Lung Cancer from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. So relax, read Tom's recommendation along with some of the posts in our forums and you'll soon find that this is a great place to get shared experiences and support. You can also take a look at Lung Cancer 101 and it can be found here. Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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