My Mom - SCLC - ext - New CT Scan shows that cancer has spread

deb_needhope
deb_needhope Member Posts: 38
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
So after the chest x-ray showed a partially collapsed right lung because of fluid build-up, they did a CT Scan to check the size of the tumors. (Our oncologist was worried that the cancer was back.) We got the CT Scan results from the doctor on call saying that the tumor had grown throughout her right lung and the one on the liver was bigger too and and it's starting to go into her left lung. (How can this be after the tumors had shrunk by 50% with chemo which showed in the last CT Scan on 8/30.) The on-call doctor told my sister that more chemo would not help because they used the best agents on her (carbo/etoposide) on her and that other chemos would not work as well. We're meeting w/her oncologist at noon today to discuss what our options are.. The on-call doctor was cold and clinical and even told my mother all this news without my sister or me there.. We were told the results would be in Wednesday morning so we were planning on all being there together to be there for her. We rushed to the hospital after the news to be with my mother who was just numb.. Does anyone know any other chemo agents that can slow this cancer down? Has anyone had a turn around after such horrible news?. I'm not ready to give up.. She was doing so well all up until they started the chest radiation.. Did the chest radiation blow up the cancer?

Comments

  • deb_needhope
    deb_needhope Member Posts: 38
    #2
    CPT-11 Chemo ?
    Has anyone heard of the chemo agent CPT-11? After talking to the Oncologist yesterday, we're looking to try this as a last bit effort. My Mom's nor my sister and I are ready to give up the fight.. Any experience with this chemo would be appreciated. Thanks.
  • stayingcalm
    stayingcalm Member Posts: 650 Member
    #3
    deb_needhope said:

    CPT-11 Chemo ?
    Has anyone heard of the chemo agent CPT-11? After talking to the Oncologist yesterday, we're looking to try this as a last bit effort. My Mom's nor my sister and I are ready to give up the fight.. Any experience with this chemo would be appreciated. Thanks.

    Other chemos won't work?
    Cisplatin and Etoposide are the only meds the oncologist tried? and on that, he's basing this opinion that other chemos won't work? Give me a break! If my oncologist thought that way I wouldn't be here today. There are new drugs in clinical trials, and there are tyrosine kinase inhibitors, like Tarceva, Cetuximab - has your mom been tested for the EGFR mutation, or ALK? There's a very promising new drug in trials now - Crizotinib, also called PF-1066. Stimuvax is in trials, too - talk to your mom's oncologist, there's got to be plenty of things to try!
    Wishing you the best,
    stayingcalm
  • deb_needhope
    deb_needhope Member Posts: 38
    #4
    stayingcalm said:

    Other chemos won't work?
    Cisplatin and Etoposide are the only meds the oncologist tried? and on that, he's basing this opinion that other chemos won't work? Give me a break! If my oncologist thought that way I wouldn't be here today. There are new drugs in clinical trials, and there are tyrosine kinase inhibitors, like Tarceva, Cetuximab - has your mom been tested for the EGFR mutation, or ALK? There's a very promising new drug in trials now - Crizotinib, also called PF-1066. Stimuvax is in trials, too - talk to your mom's oncologist, there's got to be plenty of things to try!
    Wishing you the best,
    stayingcalm

    new chemo
    Thanks so much for your reply. It's very encouraging. Yes what we were hearing was that Carboplastin & Etoposide were top shelf chemo regiments for Small Cell Lung Cancer and that others wouldn't be as effective. We pushed back saying there's got to be something else.. My Mom's not ready to give up.. So now they're going to give her Carboplastin & CPT-11. They gave her this chemo yesterday afternoon. They said, if it works, we will know very soon (7 to 10 days?). Some chemos, they were concerned for how toxic they were and if my Mom could handle it etc.. I'm just glad that we're trying something new.. We're not ready to call for hospice at this point!.. Thanks. Deb.
  • cards7up
    cards7up Member Posts: 8
    #5
    deb_needhope said:

    new chemo
    Thanks so much for your reply. It's very encouraging. Yes what we were hearing was that Carboplastin & Etoposide were top shelf chemo regiments for Small Cell Lung Cancer and that others wouldn't be as effective. We pushed back saying there's got to be something else.. My Mom's not ready to give up.. So now they're going to give her Carboplastin & CPT-11. They gave her this chemo yesterday afternoon. They said, if it works, we will know very soon (7 to 10 days?). Some chemos, they were concerned for how toxic they were and if my Mom could handle it etc.. I'm just glad that we're trying something new.. We're not ready to call for hospice at this point!.. Thanks. Deb.

    New Treatment Plan
    Hoping your mom does well on this. Good luck and take care, Judy
  • deb_needhope
    deb_needhope Member Posts: 38
    #6
    cards7up said:

    New Treatment Plan
    Hoping your mom does well on this. Good luck and take care, Judy

    new treatment
    Thanks so much!.. Appreciate your kinds words..

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