Sclc

[Stipe]

Hi guys.Im 20 years old and my mother was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. She is 57 years old and is in the 4th stage. She is going to chemotherapy tomorrow, it is not yet known if it has spread anywhere else. Tomorrow it will be clearer. about the disease, how long my mother could live and are there any chances to cure this vicious disease as I read on the internet. Thank you very much. I pray for all of you with the same or similar diagnoses. I am also interested in how these therapies are tolerated

[BroFTW]

Hi Stipe,

SCLC and lung cancer altogether is somewhat scary. As I went through this with my brother and still going through I have to say that there will be times that might feel too dificut to handle.

You and tou family will have to find ways to remain healthy physically and mentally to be able to help your mother.

The doctors will recommend a treatment based on the current stage, most likely it will be a chemotherapy (cisplatin and etoposide) in cycles, three days chemotherapy then 21 days break. Radiotherapy probably while chemotherapy or after.

I would avoid reading on the internet about chances and survivability, it would only make you feel bad, no matter if the chances are good, because it is a desease after all. You do not need more negativity during this period.

Stay strong and find ways to cheer up your mom.

Pozdrav od Makedonija .

Slavco

[RJN]

Hi Stipe,

So sorry to hear about your mum, but as mentioned there are quite a few options nowadays, so the outlook need not look bleak.

Firstly, I know nothing about Croatia’s healthcare system and what treatments are available, so I can only give you some thoughts of what you can discuss with your doctors.

1. Given that she has been told it is SCLC, I assume she had a bronchoscopy already. It seems strange that they have labelled her stage 4 and yet don’t know if it has spread. Normally, the spread is what determines the stage. Has she had a PET scan? This should show where it has spread.

2. Since they had a bronchoscopy, it would also be critical to see if they are testing for bio markers such as PDL1 and/or mutations. This should show if she is a candidate for immunotherapy and/or targeted therapies. In general, such treatments are less harsh than chemo and have higher survival rates. However, I am aware that not all countries offer this due to the high cost, but I would ask.

3. Even if immunotherapy and targeted therapies are off the table, I would ask about the opportunity to get radiotherapy. There is increasing evidence that the combination of radio and systemic therapy (such as chemo and immuno) can be a lifeline for metastatic cancer, especially if there are only a small amount of spread (referred to as oligometastatic)

Keep us posted. Best, Rikke