My 86 year old mother-in-law was diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC in January 2014. She has a 2.4 cm tumor in her left lung and metastasis in bone and liver. She went through 5 chemo treatments every 3 weeks. She was supposed to do 6 treatments but it was too much for her. She had her 5th treatment in early June. Carboplatin and docetaxel is her treatment drug. She had a PET scan done and her oncologist said the cancer is now “dark”. The tumor is still there but dark. He also said the metastasis in bones and liver are “gone”. The oncologist said she could have a 1 month break from chemo but then needs to start it up again or the cancer will grow back. My mother-in-law wants more than a month break so she plans on starting chemo in 3 months versus 1 as the doctor prescribed. Can the cancer start to grow back right away since she’s not on chemo? If so, can it grow back fast or has the chemo slowed it down?
Thank you,
JoAnn
Delay in Chemo treatment - 1265338
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Reply # - August 9, 2014, 04:38 PM
Reply To: Delay in Chemo treatment
Yes, we do tend to see that when treatment for advanced NSCLC is discontinued, the cancer does tend to progress sooner; that could be within the first 2-3 months after chemo ends, and sometimes that comes later.
But the important point is that having the cancer progress a month or two earlier than it would have without the chemo doesn't mean that you can't make up the difference by starting chemo later. If patients pick up treatment in a timely way, they may do every bit as well and also tolerate it far better than if they were to just press on without a break.
The important part isn't having no progression on a particular day, but living as long and as well as possible. If patients need a break, that's perfectly fine, and it isn't necessarily the case that this will compromise survival.
Good luck.
-Dr. West
Reply # - August 9, 2014, 05:58 PM
Reply To: Delay in Chemo treatment
Thank you very much Dr. West. I appreciate the information.
Reply # - February 7, 2015, 06:48 PM
Dr. West,
Dr. West,
I have a follow-up question regarding my mother in law with Stage IV non small cell lung cancer. She ended her chemotherapy in October 2014, She had blood work done on November 22nd to monitor her condition and the CEA level was 9.6, which her doctor said was very good. Now on January 31, 2015 she had another blood test and the CEA level is 75.9. This seems like a big jump for just over a month. Can you help me understand what this could mean. I try and read up on this information as her Oncologist doesn't explain in detail when we ask questions.
Sincerely,
JoAnn
Reply # - February 7, 2015, 07:21 PM
Hi JoAnn,
Hi JoAnn,
The faculty here have often stated that tumor markers such as CEA are simply not reliable as a follow-up measure of cancer status, whether progression or stability. You can get some information on that issue here.
The two best ways to recognize progression are the appearance of the cancer on follow-up scans, and the development of new symptoms. If scans are performed and patients are examined on a regular basis, any progression should be discovered in a timely manner. As a part of that, patients should report any new symptoms to their medical team when they develop.
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - February 7, 2015, 07:45 PM
Dear JimC,
Dear JimC,
Thank you for the information. The video with Dr. West was very informative. Thanks for sharing your story as well.
JoAnn