doxieluvr
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I have stage IV NSCLC Adenocarcinoma with no mutations.the tumor is on my left upper lobe but involves my windpipe & aortic artery. I did 4 rounds of carbo/alimpta. Did PET scan after 2 treatments & had great success with shrinkage but after 4 treatments they're was no more shrinkage. I need more shrinkage so I can have lobectomy. Here are my choices:
1. Do treatment with carbo/taxol & radiation for 60 days with radiation being everydzay.
2. Take Opdivo and hope that it shrinks the tumor more.
I don't know what to do. Radiation scares me especially doing it everyday!
O would appreciate any comments, suggestions or experience anyone would like to share.
Jeanne
Forums
Reply # - September 5, 2016, 10:49 PM
Hello, I was diagnosed with
Hello, I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma non small cell, had a local recurrence, in mid chest nodes ... which was treated with radiation x 30 every day Monday thru Friday chemo one day per week..... treatments were not bad...my hair thinned, some difficulty swallowing but it also depends on what area the radiation is going to be..Ali in all nothing you can't handle and get through.good luck with your decision...Merilee
Reply # - September 5, 2016, 10:59 PM
Thank you for your reply
Thank you for your reply Meriden. The area will be middle upper lung. I really don't want to do the chemo again. If I could just do radiation so I wouldn't get so sick again it would be the best scenario. Radiation scares me horribly. Jeanne
Reply # - September 6, 2016, 12:39 PM
Jeanne,
Jeanne,
Welcome to Grace. I'm very sorry for your diagnosis but hope you do very well for a long time to come. The treatment path is not clear because it doesn't correspond with typical stage IV treatment plans. However it's easy to imagine your tumor needs to be removed from the windpipe (trachea) and aorta first off. In this case a combination of chemo and radiation sounds reasonable. Your case is considered unique and in being so anything typical won't look like your treatment plan, at least not at this time. If this is the case then techniques usually reserved for stage III or earlier may look more like your plan than those for stage IV. Unfortunately they also are often more rigorous.
As for radiation, there is growing technology that is more precise in targeting only the tumor that leaves healthy tissue intact. SBRT is the newest and probably leading approach for smaller tumors. We have a lot of info on the subject. Here are a couple of posts that you may find helpful. http://cancergrace.org/lung/2016/01/31/gcvl_lu_stereotactic_radiosurger… http://cancergrace.org/lung/2016/02/02/gcvl_lu_sbrt_oligometastatic_lun…
Radiation dosed to 70 days is pretty long period, 35 days (7 weeks) is more typical for traditional types of radiation (non sbrt). Here is info on how radiation is dosed and delivered http://cancergrace.org/radiation/2012/03/29/not-black-or-white/
There is evidence that chemo together with radiation has better outcomes than done separately, though it is also usually more difficult to handle. http://cancergrace.org/lung/2007/07/23/concurrent-ctrt-as-soc-for-st-ii…
There are palliative treatments that help keep the patient as comfortable as possible. Anti-emetics for nausea, ideas of diet if radiation irritates esophagus during treatment and so on.
I hope this helps. Don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
Janine