Stage IV Lung Cancer questions...

havequestions123 · New User Joined: 05 May 2008 Posts: 1 Location: WV

Hi there. I am very new to this forum and I came here because I had some questions. I will try to make this short. Its hard to really put this into words.

My mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer on April 16, 2008. She is 61 years old and is a smoker. I think that the cancer is non small cell. It has spread to the skin and lymph nodes in the neck and in the chest. The doctor, who is great by the way, explained to us that there is no cure at this stage. The goal of chemo is slow down the growth and to take a couple of months and turn it into a couple of years. They will do 3 weeks on, 1 week off, for a few cycles, retest to determine if the treatment is working. If this chemo does not work, they will try another kind- if that fails they explained they will be go over options but it wouldn't look good. Of course, they talked about quality of life vs. quantity of life and the point where chemo may not be beneficial any longer.

What is strange (at least for me due to inexperience with lung cancer) is that my mom has no symptoms of lung cancer besides a cough that comes in the morning. However for over a year she has had chest pain on and off that they thought was acid reflux disease. There are no other symptoms. I don't understand how someone could progress to stage 4 and have no symptoms- nothing to throw up a red flag.

The reason she went back to the doctor was because of an itchy rash that would not go away on her throat and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

I guess my question is - Is that common to go to a stage 4 and not have symptoms that everyone is aware of? Also no one can really give a outlook on stage 4. I know no one wants to put a time frame since everyone is different a real idea would be helpful. I'm considered the most level headed one in the family so I have been helping with her affairs and what not. Its hard trying to do that.

Sorry to write such a huge post.

brainman

havequestions123, I am truly sorry about your mother very advanced Lung Cancer. Her story is very common. She has probably what cancer for a long time without any symptoms. It is not like it grew to a stage IV overnight. However, lung cancers of any stage often go undetected for months if not years. Those that are found early are usually found because the person had tests for some other health problem... for example, a routine, yearly chest X-ray for TB (not done very often now but common years ago).

At some point, your mother will have to make the hard decision that enough is enough in terms of more chemotherapy. However, now is the time to act aggressively, in my humble opinion.

You and your mother are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 617

Hi,

I'm also very sorry about the diagnosis for your Mom. Lung cancer is one of what they call the "silent killers" because most times there is no indication of it's presence until it is in very late stages. Very similar to Ovarian cancer. Because there are no "once a year" screening tests, like a mammogram for breast cancer, it is the leading cancer killer in the U.S. and world.

The only symptoms my husband had was a little cough for a few months that he just thought was post-nasal drip. It's very heartbreaking to see how radically the symptoms can accumulate and become full blown in a short period of time.

The good news is that your Mom is fairly symptom free, so should be in good shape to handle the treatment. Depending on how aggressive her cancer is and how well she responds to treatment, she very well could have a couple of years. The drug Tarceva, as a second or third line therapy, has shown to hold certain segments of the lung cancer population stable for months, sometimes more than two years. First they have to get the cancer on the run with a traditional doublet of chemo. Not everyone responds to Tarceva, but if they do, it can be gold. My husband lived 2 1/2 years and he did not respond to Tarceva, but had good responses from all the other chemotherapeutic agents. There is no way to know how it will go and any guesses would be mere speculation.

So, I'm sending my best wishes for great success as your Mom begins this new journey in her life.

God bless,
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

pjean · Regular Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 14 Location: minnesota

My husband got dx at the young age of only 36(non-smoker)it spread to the bones and brain,I think he had it for a couple of years he got personality changes and then one night started having back pain which was the only sign that it spread,not your ususal coughing,chest pain,shortness of breath,its just a hard cancer to detect early not like breast cancer which as a 89%mortality rate,all you hear about is "race for a cure" what about other cancers,I pray for the best for you mom,this is a great place to talk..god bless

maryaz

havequestions123; I also will be praying for you and your Mom and family. Some people can go thru treatments without a lot of problems. Others have a more difficult time.

I do know that a good attitude is helpful. I hope all well.
_________________
Mary

Husband is 67 year old Male
NSCLC - Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Chemo and Radiation Treatments together
Allergic reactions to Taxol and Taxotere.
The Story: http://www.cancerforums.net/about9079.html

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