Impressive Collection of Symptoms - 1293680

jaybee1
Posts:2

Hi Community,
I got here through a Google search for cell volume and lung cancer. Sort of a wacky route but glad I found you. I am supporting my dad through his cancer journey, he was diagnosed in Sep 17 and completed chemo which showed a good response. On his latest blood test his MCV was high, we know know this to be of no relevance (thanks Grace). One thing that i focussed on in Dr Weiss' reply was that cancer patients tend to have higher MCVs. I looked through dad's files and he first felt unwell in July 14 and a complete blood count showed high MCV. I suspect that this might have been the first signs of his cancer as he was also had malaise and many other symptoms followed, his doctor actually said that he had an impressive list of symptoms, ranging from muscle aches to trouble sleeping and more in between. What doesn't make sense is that he had a CT scan of his chest through to pelvis in April 2015 and nothing significant was reported. In July 2016 he had another CT, again insignificant. At the end of August 2017 he had a nasty cough and a suspect X ray resulted in another scan. We are pleased that he has had a good response to treatment but we are still concerned as he still has many of his original symptoms. On looking at info on this site, as well as the MCV connection I picked up on an article which said "it shouldn’t be a surprise that SCLC is the most common form of cancer to be associated with paraneoplastic syndromes. And these can be associated with a HUGE range of symptoms...."
With my dad being told that he had an impressive collection of symptoms I was wondering if he is suffering from these proteins but that would mean he went through two clear ct scans over nearly two years since the high MCH and symptoms started, which doesn't seem possible given what else I have read. Is it possible for you to comment on this connection I have been making?
Thanks
Jaybee1

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JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi jaybee1,

Welcome to GRACE. There has been mention in the literature that symptoms common to paraneoplastic syndromes may be seen prior to a diagnosis of SCLC, but that typically means prior to the time when an SCLC tumor is seen (as a result of a scan), as opposed to when it actually becomes visible. I have asked Dr. West about such symptoms preceding an SCLC diagnosis by similar time periods, and he has not seen or heard of that phenomenon.

Of course, symptoms can indicate a variety of conditions, and cancer patients are prone to all manner of other conditions, which could explain why some or all of your dad's symptoms have not abated even with effective treatment. Perhaps further workup can reveal another cause for his symptoms.

In the meantime, good wishes for continued effective treatment.

JimC
Forum moderator

jaybee1
Posts: 2

Hi Jim,

We were a bit dubious about the early symptoms being related to the lung cancer, it was just when we noticed the cell volume being high and there being a recognised link between this and cancer we thought that maybe the symptoms were the manifestation of the cancer and something to watch out for.
Thank you for replying and also your good wishes.

Jaybee1