jelena
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Posts:5
Hi to all!
Can you please give me some advise. My dad has squamous cell lung cancer. He had to stop 2nd line therapy (Vinorelbine) since he it was to hard for him. Doctors give him Corticosteroids for two weeks and he gain 6 kg and he was feeling almost healthy again. After couple of days he got fever. And it goes up to 39.5C. He has a fever for 20 days now even he started to take antibiotics ( Ciprofloxacin, and after Pancef). On the X ray doctors sow inflammation around tumor. What can we do else to stop this fever?
Thank you for your feedback!
Jelena
Forums
Reply # - December 23, 2015, 09:55 AM
Hi Jelena,
Hi Jelena,
I'm so sorry your dad has this awful disease. The cancer can cause fever or of course an infection can cause fever and inflammation too. However, it isn't possible to know the difference between cancer growth and inflammation on a scan, they look the same. Untreated cancer would be expected to grow and can cause fever and night sweats so I'm not sure how helpful antibiotics would be in a situation of growing cancer. I don't have all the information so there may be good reason to suspect infection.
Anticancer treatment is the standard of care if one is able to withstand treatment and wants treatment. If not hospice care is used to make sure the person with cancer is as comfortable as possible. Both can be a huge help.
If there is a mutation such as egfr or alk treatment in the form of a pill can be used. If there is elevated PD-L1 levels, immunotherapy can be used. All these treatments have shown good benefit for a period of time. Other chemotherapies can also be tried such as taxotere, gemcitabine, and if the cancer is non-squamous alimta can be very effective as well as less toxic than others.
I hope your dad is feeling better and more comfortable very very soon.
All best,
Janine
Reply # - January 4, 2016, 06:05 AM
Follow the doctor's advice.
Follow the doctor's advice. Take a proper treatment & be happy. Don't be stressful for your fever. Your nature can also effect to your fever. Be positive.
Reply # - January 4, 2016, 10:03 AM
Thank you for your advice but
Thank you for your advice but I can not be happy. I don't know what to do to help him. The last 4 days he had 4 infusions of corticosteroids and they stopped the fever for couple of days. Today he had it again 38C. Again we will start with antibiotics. I was trying to find someone else with fever so high but I couldn't. My father had first line cisplatin and gemzar but it didn't work for him. Second line we had to stop since he was to weak. Other options in Serbia are not possible unfortunately. I was trying to get him on clinical trail in Austria for Nivolumab but he is so weak now and it is impossible for him to travel. I don't know what to do.
Reply # - January 4, 2016, 04:50 PM
I'm very sorry Jalena, I
I'm very sorry Jalena, I think that was an inappropriate post and has been taken down. I hope you know we are here for just that reason, question, learn, get the treatment you need. I know there's no way to just be happy. I have found I'm not the only one around that feels hope in a new light though, and I'm always hopeful we can get what we need (that changes daily sometimes).
Someone who isn't getting anticancer treatment who has stage IV lung cancer will progress. A fever of 38C or 100.4 F is pretty common for someone progressing with this disease.
I would ask for hospice/palliative/comfort care for your dad if he won't be getting anticancer treatment. Even if he is getting anticancer treatment he should also be as comfortable as possible.
Again I wonder if an infection has been found or if the enlargement around the tumor is what would be expected, cancer growth. They look the same on scans.
I hope your dad gets the comfort care he needs.
Janine