Rib Resection/tumor in lung surgery

Malteseowner · New User Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 1

Hello all,
I am new to the group and am inquiring for my best friend of over thirty years (53 years old) who has lung cancer and is computer illiterate.

She had cervical cancer in 1994, had a radical hysterectomy and radiation afterwards. She was cancer free until 2003 when a CT scan discovered a growth in her upper right lobe, which the doctor originally thought was a lung fungus, since she has never smoked in her life. She had VATS surgery which showed it was in fact lung cancer and was thought to be a metastasis; less than a year later it returned and she had a lung wedge resection at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She was on carboplatin and taxotere afterwards. She has been complaining of pain in her side for months and the doctors felt it was a result of the surgery. In early November the CT and afterwards, PET scans showed a return in the lung as well as rib invasion. She was put on cisplatin, topotecan and zometa to be administered for three days in a row every third week. She had three courses then had a CT scan, which showed the cancer was not reacting to the chemo.

She is now scheduled for surgery on Tuesday to remove the new tumor as well as the rib resection. Does anyone have any experience with rib resection? In addition to the lung surgeon operating, there will also be a plastic surgeon to do the rib resection on at least two ribs. She is an avid horsewoman and the doctors told her she may not be able to ride again, which really has her depressed.

Thanks in advance for any information you can give her.

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