My aunt has Stage IV squamous non small cell lung, in both lungs and possibly right hip.
She was previously being treated for thyroid cancer, 13 years ago.
5 years ago nodules were found in her lungs. Doctor said not to worry, because they were growing very slow.
3 years ago she returned to the doctor, due to losing weight. He again said not to worry, nodules were growing slow, and not a concern.
Three months ago she began coughing blood, and returned to the doctor. This time she was told in was stage 4 squamous non small cell lung cancer. Nothing could be done, and she had 7-12 months to live.
She is now on her second treatment of carboplastin and taxotere. Doctor said it is to easy her pain, but will not slow the tumors or extend her life.
She is 69. Prior to several months ago, she was very healthy, running marathons, with no other medical issues.
I have asked about bio-markers, but doctor says they are a waste of time.
Where is the best place to search of trials for her condition? What questions do I need to ask the doctor?
Reply # - January 19, 2016, 03:33 PM
Hi Kyle,
Hi Kyle,
I'm sorry to hear of your aunt's diagnosis. One thing I do not agree with is the statement her doctor made, that chemotherapy will not slow the tumors or extend her life. There are in fact two goals of treatment for stage IV lung cancer - to extend life and improve the quality of that life. Many patients live longer because of treatment, more so than ever with many of the new agents available. These include immunotherapies, which have shown promise for some patients with squamous NSCLC.
Also, her doctor's assertion that she has 7-12 months to live is simply false. When you look at historical data regarding large groups of patients, median survival may have been 10-12 months, but not only have there been many advances in the past several years, but also each patient is different, and some patients now are beating those medians by quite a bit.
For the dual reasons of getting another perspective and for access to clinical trials, it might be a good idea to get a second opinion at a teaching hospital affiliated with a medical school. The oncologists at such institutions tend to be more aware of new research and trials, and can suggest not only standard courses of action with already-approved treatments as well as promising trials of new agents.
In the meantime, good luck to her with the current treatment.
JimC
Forum moderator