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Second-line chemo..questions



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Sharonlm

				          
            Posts: 1

          
          
            Joined: Oct 2009

          
        					
				
		
									

        			    November 5, 2009 - 11:35am			  			

			
			
My husband was diagnosed in Oct. 2007 with squamous cell carcinoma (NSCLC) and never had surgery because his lungs are impaired from COPD.  He received 35 treatments of radiation and 7 (once a week) treatments of chemo.  


Now, 2 years later the cancer has returned.  He has a small tumor (nodule) 1.5 x 1.6 in the same, left lung but it's in a different area of the lung.  


First our oncologist said we should wait to have chemo until Mike becomes symptomatic then he changed his mind (it's as if he forgot he had said to wait) and said we need to start chemo immediately.  He wants to use taxotere.


Now the question I have are, should we wait?  What is the average "extended" period of life a second-line of chemo will give?  


Mike wants quality above quantity and he does not want extra weeks or months if he is fatigued and/or sick.  I've researched this and some articles seem to suggest an extended 5 weeks or so and some suggest an extended period of months.  It's so confusing.


Also, this time the tumor is in the suprahilar area, before it was in the lingular area.  Is having the tumor (growing) in the suprahilar area more dangerous than most other areas of the lungs?  


Thanks for any help and advice!


Sharonlm


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quiltingranny

				      
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	        Joined: Nov 2009

	      
	    				
		
			
November 20, 2009 - 6:01pm

			
Taxotere
			
My husband was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in June 2009.  He was given chemotherapy treatments and radiation concurrently.  When he was near the end of the 6 weeks of radiation the Oncologist told us that he would receive 2 treatments of taxotere 4 weeks apart.  I too looked up information online concerning this treatment and wanted to ask the doctor why she was recommending this.  My husband does not want me to ask the Oncologist any questions and I told him that I would respect his wishes.  He has received one treatment with the taxotere and is to receive the next one on November 24.  He was sore all over and had a headache two days after the initial treatment.  This lasted a few days and he has been extremely tired ever since.  I am afraid that this next round will be harder for him to tolerate and I am questioning the need for him to have it right now as he has never had a follow up PET scan to the initial treatment so at this time we do not even know if the cancer is active anymore.  I am feeling frustrated with the Oncologist as she has never told us what stage the cancer is.  When I asked she said it could be Stage 2 or 3.  We were also led to believe that surgery might be possible after the initial treatment but as the radiation treatments were almost over they told us that the cancer was inoperable.  My husband is adamant about following doctors orders but I feel as if she is not being upfront with us.  When I asked about future treatments she just said that she was going for a cure and wouldn't discuss anything.      



			
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mimi0825

				      
	        Posts: 2

	      
	      
	        Joined: Nov 2009

	      
	    				
		
			
November 21, 2009 - 11:52pm

			
chemo 2nd time around hilar metastatic lymphoadenopathy
			
my mom has now been diagnosed with hilar metastatic disease exactly 1 yr from November 08 initial diagnosis of left lung Stage IIIA adenocarcinoma. she as did your husband suffered from COPD and severe asthma but still had a thoracotomy and wedge resection. She did relatively well after her concurrent radiation and chemo until her recent recurrence. Not sure what to expect with this next round of chemo (Navelbine) which starts on Monday. The first time around you would never even know she was sick. She has a great attitude but already refusing to use oxygen if it becomes required. So i think she too is a quality not a quantity of life person also. Hard for me to tell her what to do, i want her here forever but what is her time frame really no one seems to want to give her any . 



			
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