How many chemo rounds (average) before results can be seen ? - 1263130

healmymom
Posts:44

Hello,

Back in Jan. I wrote questioning using Carboplatin as a single agent only vs. Carbo/Alimta. Your comments & knowledge were extremely helpful.
My mom ended up getting Carbo only 1st treatment, but since she did well with that, the dr. agreed to add Alimta @ 2nd + now 3rd treatment last week. Dr. hopes to hold off till 4th trmnt. is done and to do testing.

IF the treatment is working, would you expect to see the lump on the incision site on her left side shrink somewhat by now ? I felt it yesterday and the lump itself seems a little smaller, but now seems like a new elongated mass has appeared directly below the lump.

Also, she just showed me that there is a flat kind of broad thickening (lump/mass) on her sternum a few inches below her trachea. Could the cancer spread there, between the skin and the sternum?

My Mother -- dx @ 76 yrs old:
7/11 – dx NSCLC (adenocarc,, KRAS, suspected multifocal + slow-growing), 2 cm LL, few suspicious nodules RL, lymph nodes clear
10/11 — LL ling. resection, watch RL
10/12 — PET/CT – slight progression into LL Pleura
1/13, 4/13, 7/13 – CT’s — very slight progression if any in pleura, considered stable
1/14 — PET/CT – progress. in LL pleura, RL nod. from 1.4 – 1.9 cm, new dx tumor (left rib @incision + primary breast cancer
2/19 -- 1st Chemo -- CARBOPLATIN ONLY
3/12 -- 2nd Chemo -- Carboplatin / ALIMTA added
4/2 -- 3rd Chemo -- Carbo / Alimta

Forums

catdander
Posts:

I edited out my mistake; It should be checking for efficacy with CT scan after 2 cycles. and especially so happy to thank Dr. Weiss for the correction. It's what Grace is all about and why I'm here, people like you who can and will communicate with and educate and all important correct us, Dr. West shouldn't have all the fun.

I'll ask a doctor to clarify about the possibilities of tumors just under the skin. I don't think that's usual but I've learned nothing is impossible with cancer.

I hope your mom does well,
Janine

dr. weiss
Posts: 206

Typically scans are performed after 2 cycles to ensure the chemotherapy is working. Typically if chemotherapy is working patients receive a total of 4-6 cycles of 2 agent drug. Cancer is followed by looking at all sites of known disease by both physical examination and imaging. So if this spot is known to be cancer and that shrinkage would be important. But it would not be the only site followed other sites of disease would need to be followed by imaging.