Kaffie Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 I read as many posts as I can each day to try to educate myself on lung cancer in general. One thing I have noticed is that it occasionally comes back within a few months time after surgery is performed for early stage cancer. I had my surgery in mid July, T1N0M0 Adenocarcinoma, my lower left lobe was removed. My surgeon did not recommmend chemo. I ended up back in the hospital within 2 weeks due to pneumonia and a left pleural effusion with empyema. I spent another 9 days in the hospital which now puts me 2 months since my surgery. I'm seriously thinking of taking chemo as an extra precaution against a recurrance. My question is how long after early stage surgery does the average person start chemo? I don't even have an appointment to see an oncologist yet, I see my surgeon on the 26th and want him to recommend one and I will choose the other, I'd like 2 opinions. It's looking like I well be at the very least 3 months past surgery before I could even come close to beginning chemo. I am concerned that the longer this takes the more chance of it reoccuring before I get the chance to start chemo. any helpful opinions? Thanks Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nushka Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 I was IIA/IIIA so we can't compare stages but I had surgery and exactly one month later was in chemo. Then it was decided that I needed radiation as well. Started that 3 weeks after my last chemo. I am now 18 months past dx and still cancer free. I have more scans next month. I was told that the first year, when you have all of the treatments that I did, are usually ok...its the second year that most of the reoccurances happen. That makes this next set of scans very important for me. Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 As above. You have to heal from the surgery before they start chemo. With yourself, since you had pneumonia, I would think that should be cleared up good also. With non small cell I was told it doubled in 3 months, if not caught by your pathologist ( lymph nodes etc) I would think you are still on track for catching any micrometastasis with chemo. Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloesmom Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 In my case, I was 2 months out from surgery before chemo started. My advice would be to call the surgeon's office and ask the question. The doc can make a referral for an oncology consult without seeing you first.... I don't think with your set of circumstances you are too late to start chemo, but ask about it. Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 Didn't heve chemo with the lung, so can't help you with that. Just wanted to say hi and welcome. gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HickoryC Posted September 12, 2004 Share Posted September 12, 2004 Hi Kaffie, This appears to be a difficult choice for you. Maybe you should get opinions from two oncologists who are not associated with each other. My oncology consult was not scheduled until 4 months after the surgery. Lower right lobe removed in my case. The oncologist didn't think it was necessary. I simply felt relieved. That was slightly over 3 years ago. I hope that you will be comfortable with whichever decision you make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffie Posted September 12, 2004 Author Share Posted September 12, 2004 Thank you all for your responses, I do still have time if I get moving and quit thinking about it. I think getting opinions from oncologists who are not associated with each other is the way to go. Doctors always seem to agree with their coleagues. I have helped 3 people go through their chemo not realizing that one day I may need the help myself. well, guess I'll schedule an appointment tomorrow Thanks again Kathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinsdakota Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 Hi Kaf...saw ur post here...Im about in same boat, stage one, t2,mo,etc. left lung removed. Saw the onc. couple weeks ago, (Im about 8 weeks out from surgery now), he recomends scans, (CT,MRI brain,PET), and one round of chemo as a preventative measure. Sounds like they are just starting to do chemo with early stage patients, since clinical trials recently showed a beneficial increase in survival rates. I think this is quite new , and might be food for thought for all who have recently ended their treatment with surgery only. Id call the onc., see what they recomend, I think. (By the way, Onc. said he starts chemo no sooner than 6 wks out from surgery, dunno how long after that they might be inclined to still give it.) I will be starting mine (chem) within next couple weeks, I think....I wouldnt think a couple or few months woulld make a great difference, I put it off for a few weeks, just to get myself back together for a bit..hehe...ok, hope this helps. I applaud your plan to pick the brains of two different Onc.s, ....very smart of you. I havent got a 2nd opinion, but will if I dont think Im getting the prudent plan of action from this one. Good luck.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffie Posted September 15, 2004 Author Share Posted September 15, 2004 Rich, Yes, it does sound like we are pretty much in the same boat, not a fun boat I must admit. I did some reading today and did learn that the stage 1 squamous cell lung cancer has a higher survival rate than the adenocarcinoma. Of course I have the aden, hope you have the squamous cell. I found an interesting article written in June of this year that is pretty convincing regarding chemo and early stage lung cancer. Hope this comes thru.... http://cancernews.healthology.com/focus ... ds&spg=FIA I see my GP Thursday and my surgeon next week and I'll be schedueling my onco appointments after that. Good luck to you and keep me informed of how you're doing Thank you for writing Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinsdakota Posted September 15, 2004 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Thx Kaf...thats a very good informative site...thx for posting that link. Yes, I too have, (or hopefully, HAD) Adenocarcinoma....think our only diff. is in size of tumor. Mine was T2 size, but still NO,MO pending outcome of scans Im now doing. Hoping they are clear, or its a whole nother classification if theres anything lights up on the scans. If I start a round of chemo, as onc. recommends, Im gonna ask him about adding Celebrex or Bextra as an enhancement, since I suffer from osteoarthritis as well. Two birds with one stone, hopefully. (I sure hope my back pain hasnt been misdiagnosed, and turns out to really be bone met. Bone scan was normal, they say, but Im still suspicious.) I took some Bextra for surgery pain, and it seemed to work pretty well for pain, as well as not seeming to cause any stomach probs. Course, the health plan wont cover for pain management, maybe for chemo, if prescribed, dunno. But I had no idea Bextra was a cox2 inhibitor at the time, so this link helped me to learn that fact. Recent revelations about Vioxx are scary, hi doses linked to heart failure, etc. Anyway, thx again and take care....wishing us all luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffie Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 Hi rich, One more thing we both have going for us, osteoarthritis... Before I had cancer I was given Bextra for my arthritis pain but it made me sick to my stomach so I quit. Now I can't help but wonder if it could have prevented the cancer growth, an answer I'll never know. I will ask for it again when I start chemo since i'll need anti nausea drugs. Try not to worry about the back pain, I had and still do it but it's the arthritis. As far as the bone scan, I did have a little light show on mine so I was given another scan and it turned out the light was just my arthritis showing some activity, so don't panic if you do get something, it isn't always bad. I was sick with fear for awhile until they cleared that question for me. I'm praying for you, I know you will have clear scans, I can feel it... I don't have answers about the health coverage but I'll keep my fingers crossed on that one for you! I'm glad to hear I was able to help even if it was just a link to another web site. Take care Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinsdakota Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Yea, the cox2 inhibitors are hard on the stomach, they give me nausea also. I take nexium to protect the stomach, but then have diahrea problems..sheesh...wonder where the trail of side effects ends, if ever. Dont know if the Bextra or celebrex could prevent tumor growth, I was getting pretty low dose for arthritis pain. (200 mg). I understand it is given in hi doses, 800 mg sometimes, when used as chemo enhancer. Can only imagine the stomach nausea in those of us who dont tolerate it well., but, oh well, maybe nexium will help. I ll try to get answers to this next week from onc. Till then, take care and yes, you did help me learn something, seems every bit of knowledge we post here helps someone in some way, or reinforces or supports someones feeling about things, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffie Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 rich, Saw my GP today and he is completely in favor of chemo. He did say that I will probably have nasty side effects, I imagine they wouldn't be any worse if they add Bextra to the mix. He also said so many people want to quit by the third treatment because they can't stand the thought of staying sick but he said to hang in there and the rewards will come. He also said that without chemo, the long term out look for adeno is not too good. He's a good doctor, told me to come in or just call whenever I need to talk and he'll be there. I see my onc on the 27th of this month. On one hand I'm scared to death, I've helped several people get through their chemo, but on the other hand I want to get started and get it over with. Remember, there are some very good anti nausea medications out there these days, it's possible neither one of us will have to get too sick, think positive. Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Sending positive thoughts to Kathy and Rich for good results from your respective treatments. My husband was fine with his first chemo but the "Taxotere" wasn't too good. He certainly didn't experience any nausia with either chemo. Good Luck to you both. Paddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffie Posted September 18, 2004 Author Share Posted September 18, 2004 Thanks for you response, Paddy. You and your husband have been through so much. Praying for you both Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyde Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Kaffi, I wish you an easy ride through chemo, but I think taking every opportunity to make sure this disease does not come back is the smart thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffie Posted September 19, 2004 Author Share Posted September 19, 2004 Thank you Ginny, So very sorry your husband lost his battle with this &*^%....So did my father. I don't know how my mother could deal with losing her husband AND child to the same type of cancer. My surgeon says no further treatment is necessary but I'm not trusting him. I feel like his main interest is length of survival after surgery. My GP says since my tumor was located in the lower lobe of my lung I have a good chance of recurrance so he was happy to hear me ask him about chemo. He says there are 100's of blood vessels running thru the lower lobe just waiting to grab onto one cancer cell and get it going. He said the people who have the best chance are the ones whose tumor is in the upper part of the lung. My surgeon never took the time to tell me that. Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinsdakota Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 Interesting Kaffie; Yea, surgeons...drs in general aint what they used to be..sigh. Mine never bothered to get into any such matters, or any other useful info. Had to drag a few major concerns out of him..including my pathology, which he briefly brushed over on a chalkboard. Seems my tumor was in upper lung, but up against blood vessel to lower lobe, hence entire lung had to go. As long as lung didnt leak or collapse, and incision wasnt infected...all he cared about. At the same time, he apparently convinced my family that I was "cured", and he "got it all out". sheesh Additionally; the oncologist has me undergoing scans, CT/MRI/Pet, to look for any metasteses, ...Im wondering , if there are other tumors,...why did I undergo major surgery? Shouldnt we have looked before we leaped, so to speak? Guess surgeons just arent concerned whether these factors might make surgery a useless excercise. Hoping scans are clear, and still on good track, but just frustrating that we didnt make sure before surgery. Anyway, get scan results tomorrow, will try to post results, ...for better or worse... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 Rich Just curious--how did you get dxed? How did you go straight to a surgeon without meeting with a tumor board, who would have had the PETs etc to look for mets. Did you get DXed by a Primary Care and/or a pulmonologist? Did you have lymph node involvement? I lived in SD many years, just also wondering where you had your surgery? All and all, I think it is great you had the surgery! Best wishes that nothing shows up! eliane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinsdakota Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 Elaine...saw youre post and question... Answer is none of the above, essentially. I was referred to a lung (thoracic?) surgeon by my local family dr. He proceeded to schedule a broncoscopy, then needle biopsy and recomended surgery. (St. Lukes Hosp., Aberdeen). If there was a tumor board or anything else, I wasnt aware of it. I was a naive first timer, never had any dealings with med. establisment, and the pathology diag. was very positive sounding, etc., so I just went with it....after much research on internet, (including this great site), which all seemed to reinforce that plan of action. I checked out RFA, but after American Cancer Soc. said they couldnt recomend, still unproven treatment,etc., I just went with the conventional treatment..surgery. Yea, seems pretty inadequate looking back..but with limited time to make decicsions, and plenty of panic , I thought we did the best I could . Darn sure is a shame that the med. profession doesnt Have a mandatory regimen of multi-disciplinary review at diag. , 2nd opinions, etc. , but none of that was suggested or mentioned, even. I thought about seeking a 2nd, but didnt, just couldnt believe the reputable hosp. pathology could be that bad, as to be wrong. So far, things seem to bear out that the proper treatment was accomplished, (pending scan results), but if so, it was fairly by chance, rather than by consensus of med. opinion, or anything. Anyway, seeing Onc. now....after the fact, dont know why they didnt get him involved before the fact, or maybe they consulted and didnt bother to mention it to me...dunno. Getting scan results tomorrow, ...hoping I dont get reclassified, but...well, Ill try to post with results soon...k...cya then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 Rich In a way, I think it might be a blessing that you didn't have to go through all the other stuff! I wish you well with the upcoming tests! elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinsdakota Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 Oh, Elaine...also: they did a mediascopy(?) to check lymph nodes...all neg. he said. Said he wouldnt have believed it if they hadnt been biopsied, but they were all clear, I guess. Hope scan bears him out on this. K, just forgot to answer that part for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffie Posted September 20, 2004 Author Share Posted September 20, 2004 Rich Thinking back, I wasn't referred to an oncologist either. I was sent to a pulmonologist by my GP who was certain I had cancer. The pulmonologist said he didn't believe it was cancer. After a few visits with him and many scans of various types the spot didn't change in size so he sent me to the surgeon. I never did see a board of anything. My surgeon left it up to me, he said the board of oncologists was split as to what was going on. Some thought cancer, others thought benign but he said it had to come out anyway so he left it up to me to either have surgery right away or watch it for a few months to see if it grows or shrinks. I chose surgery and I'm glad I did, why give cancer extra growing time? The pulmonologist cost me enough precious time because he was so convinced that it was not cancer. I must have been in such a state of shock and confusion I didn't think to take matters into my own hands. My first visit with the surgeon after surgery, he said I didn't need to see an oncologist, I'm sure glad I was a little more clear headed by then! Looking forward to reading the results of your scans. Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Posted September 20, 2004 Share Posted September 20, 2004 Kaffie when I was diagnosed, my GP sent me for all tests first, then referred me to a surgeon---I did not see an onc at that time--- after the lobectomy, my surgeon did not think I needed chemo but urged me to get a second opinion with an onc----and said have him call me first before you do anything---(e.g. get chemo) the onc agreed that I did not need chemo, that it would do more harm than good (probably because where the tumor was located)--- My surgeon has been nothing but wonderful, I still (after 4 1/2 years) get all my scans and check-ups with him--- good luck in your course of treatment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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