How Long with No Symptoms-Lung Cancer

SharRog · New User Joined: 01 Apr 2008 Posts: 8

I was told by my father’s physician that he has stage four lung cancer. Dad had an x-ray in Nov 07 and a CT scan w/contrast in Nov 08. The CT scan showed that the lesion had grown to 4cm lesion in one lung with 6 nodules in other lung. The physician told me he is 90% certain that it’s lung cancer. My dad will NOT have a biopsy. He quit smoking over 30 years ago.

I’ve not read on any other forums of a person that’s had lung cancer with no treatments living this long or that if they had stage four they only had months to live.

So I’ve known for 5 months now of the 4cm lesion 6 nodules but my dad has no symptoms.

Can a person have lung cancer for over one year and a half with no symptoms?
Can a person have 4cm lesion, 6 nodules live for over 5 months?
When do symptoms start? How long does he have? Anything you could tell me would be greatly appreciated.

brainman

SharRog, I am very sorry about your father's potential lung cancer. I say "potential" because until he has a biopsy done he cannot be 100% sure that it really is cancer. What is your father's reason for not wanting a biopsy?

Some people live for months-years symptom free with lung cancer. One and a half year pre-diagnosis is, unfortunately, common. Others can live quite a long time with untreated stage IV lung cancer. Five months is not that long. However, with proper treatment he could survive for over one year... depending on the specific type of cancer.

Without a biopsy, it is hard to make treatment decisions. Those lesions might not even be lung cancer but some other cancer that has metastasized to the lungs... for example, a melanoma can spread to the lungs. While the doctor is 90% sure that it is Lung Cancer, there is that 10% of uncertainty.

Your father is in my thoughts and prayers.
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pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 1135

SharRog,

Welcome and I'm sorry to hear that your Dad has health issues that are concerning. I'm sure you are very worried.

I concur with Jim's (Brainman) assessment. Without a biopsy and plenty of tests, they cannot know what type of cancer this might be. Many other types of cancers have a habit of metastasizing to the lung.

I can relate that my husband had no symptoms, other than a slight cough, for over four months before weight loss, shortness of breath (SOB), and bloody coughing started. He was loaded with cancer in both lungs and in-between. You couldn't even count the tumors, there were so many. His cancer had to be growing for some time before it ultimately grew enough to cause obvious problems. He was finally diagnosed definitively at the end of March, but had passed a treadmill stress test (annual physical) in early January. He also had quit smoking decades earlier. Over 50% of new lung cancer diagnosis are made each year for people who quit smoking or never even smoked.

He did do treatment and lived 2 1/2 years. That was a little outside of the box, especially because he did have an aggressive type, but many Stage IV patients are living to this length of time because of some newer targeted-therapy chemo's, like Tarceva. In the case of lung cancer as the primary, it truly depends on the sub-type and cell differentiation. Some lung cancers loll around and don't grow very fast, while others spread like wildfire. Without a biopsy, none of this can be known. Unless the tumors are compressing bronchial tubes or sitting in spots that can cause pain, a person can appear to have no symptoms.

There are no clear-cut answers. I'm sorry and I hope this snippet of info helped you in some way.

Best wishes,
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

SharRog · New User Joined: 01 Apr 2008 Posts: 8

Thank you both so much for your comments and especially pbj11. I'm so sorry for your loss, I can't even imagine. At least with my father he's 81 and has lived a full life. It just is hard right now just wondering what will happen especially with the first "spot" that was noticed over 1.5 years ago - and has since grown and spread. From what I've read it certainly does sound like cancer and with every pain, ache he complains about I think the worst is here.

But actually I've learned not to think like that - funny story, he told me he had 6 lumps in his stomach and I thought OH NO! it's spreading (he doesn't know that his doctor told me he has cancer) so I was freaking out thinking now the doctor will tell him (it's actually been good he doesn't know for sure-life is somewhat normal) so anyway I was so stressed out because I knew the dr was going to tell him and also that I thought it was spreading - I took dad to dr and the dr called me in and said.....the lumps in your dad's stomach are ingrown hairs!!! So, unless something like a cough, or other typical symptoms come up - I'm not going to get all nuts about it. Thanks again for your help - this forum is so wonderful for people to go to - and get help from wonderful people like yourselves.

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 1135

Hi Shar,

Well, it sounds like you have the right attitude for this challenge. In-grown hairs! Very Happy

Oh the things that make us go crazy...

Take care and I wish your father continued decent times.

PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Ivo · New User Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 5

Hi there,
Sorry to hear about your dad. My dad was diagnosed with lung and bone cancer 4 moths ago and it's very tough to deal with. Please tell your dad that he must get the biopsy done, this is the only sure way for him to know what's going on. My dad had no symptoms at all and 4 months ago started with a backache that got worse and worse and that's when they started testing him for everything under the sun until they found cancer. Stay positive (at least when you're around him), it's the only way to help him through this. Take care

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