I am having a lung biopsy next week for a possible stage 1a nodule (1.8cm x.9cm). The surgeon said that because the nodule is deep and surrounded by blood vessels that I would need a right upper lobe lobectomy but no chemo. Because I am in the medical profession, I've been googling for days. It seems that even if lung cancer is caught at a very early stage, the prognosis for being alive after 5 years is 50%, and decreases rapidly as the stage gets worse. My question is this: Can anyone be cured of lung cancer? Why the five year survival stats? There are cancers that people survive for decades. Is it that micrometastases from lung cancer are so insidious? And, why no chemo after a lobectomy for stage 1a? All it takes is one cell to escape into the lymphatics and blood stream to spread.
Survivl statistics for lung cancer - 1268443
lsw528
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Reply # - February 10, 2015, 07:40 PM
Hi lsw528,
Hi lsw528,
Welcome to GRACE. I am sorry to hear of the discovery of your nodule and the uncertainty it is causing you.
Although the survival statistics for lung cancer are nowhere near as good as any of us would like, the answer to your question is yes. Many people with early-stage lung cancer are cured. Survival statistics are quoted at the five-year mark because the experience is that most patients who reach that milestone are in fact cured. It's still possible to have a recurrence after that point, but it is quite unlikely.
Chemo is not usually pursued for stage Ia lung cancer because the experience is that it doesn't add significantly to survival while it does add problems of its own.
These links may help you, and if they spark additional questions, please post them.
http://cancergrace.org/lung/2010/04/05/an-introduction-to-lung-cancer/
http://cancergrace.org/lung/2012/05/15/modifying-factors-adjuvant-chemo/
Good luck with your biopsy.
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - February 11, 2015, 06:10 AM
Thank you for referring me to
Thank you for referring me to those articles. They answered my questions.
Have a good day!
Reply # - February 11, 2015, 11:40 AM
Until they get in there and
Until they get in there and take and test lymph nodes, you're dx at stage IA. Stage can change after surgery. I had a mediastinoscopy before the actual surgery and thankfully no lymph nodes involved either time. Wishing you the best. Take care, Judy