stage 3b lung cancer

**** UPDATE****

My mother in law is back for a biopsy today and results are wed. They told her that there is new cancer now in the chest wall. do we need to be more concerened than we have been? she is spitting up stuff, very tired and short of breath. its been since 05 or 04 that we discovered this cancer. I need to hear some good news is there any out there? thanks Barbara







My mother in law is 54 years old and was diagnosied in Jan 2007 with lung cancer. she was told back in 2004-2005 that she had a spot on her lung but she never went back to have it checked so in 2007 she went to the doc with a bad cough and they discovered that she had stage 3b Adenocarcinoma lung cancer. the tumor on her lung was 8cm x 10cm if i recall. we have gone through apprx. 30 radations and a low dose round of chemo. she was offered higher chemo and declined it. her odds according to doc was 10% at the beginning. 20% now. and even with a more aggressive chemo her odds would not increase. we were told the tumor had met the chest wall. we were also told that there was activity in the lymph node prior to the chemo radation. does that mean the cancer is in the lymph nodes? after the chemo and radation there was still activity in the lymph node and we were told that they were not sure if it was radation or chemo working on the lymph node. why wouldnt they know? cant they biopsy it? also as we read today the survival rate is 1 year for this type of cancer without surgery. are there other numbers out there? have any of you delt with this? we cant get information from her docotor without her permission so its hard to talk to them with her there.