Am I a guinea pig?

herbngorilla

I have small cell lung cancer - 3 or 4 areas.
Am going to soon begin round 4 of carboplatin and etopiside.

I have been told that 4 rounds of chemo is enough even though they give some people 6 rounds.
No radiation even though there is no cancer in the brain.

The cancer has spread to 2 lymph nodes in the arm.

Is this normal treatment? Is this aggressive enough?

The doctor claims this should do it and if it comes back, well, then, we move to on
to other drugs.

Thanks!

cabbott

Treatment
If you are concerned about whether or not your treatment plan is appropriate for your kind of cancer, it would not be out of line to get a second opinion. You can consult with a different pulmonary oncologist. Try to get one at a teaching hospital that is skilled in treating lung cancer. The second opinion can either give you other options or ease your mind that what you are doing is state of the art care. Either way you win. Some consults can be done face to face. Technology can be used to get one too far away to visit. I was in the room once when one of my oncologists finished with a consult with a lady from Europe. She paid the phone fees and arranged for him to have all her charts, films, reports and so forth. I've requested second opinions from doctors before. My doctors freely agreed to it and readily helped me get the paperwork together. They told me that they sometimes call themselves just to make sure they are staying up with the latest treatment options. But patients can also ask for second opinions when they aren't sure. Good luck!

marijune

I will be given carboplatin & Taxol plus radiation
I was told i had several tumors on the lung but a pet scan revealed 1 and two lymph nodes. I will be given carboplatin & Taxol plus radiation which should begin soon. I went for a second opinion at a large hospital. I dont know if what I am getting is normal treatment or agressive enought but my husband wanted a second opinion. I have to believe my team of Doctors are doing the best then can for me.
I think you should consider asking your doctor to make arrangements for a second opinion so you can feel more comfortable & have faith with the treatment you will receive. I was recently diagnoised so I am new at this but I am sure other people may be able to help you in your decision.

joyzee

marijune said:

I will be given carboplatin & Taxol plus radiation
I was told i had several tumors on the lung but a pet scan revealed 1 and two lymph nodes. I will be given carboplatin & Taxol plus radiation which should begin soon. I went for a second opinion at a large hospital. I dont know if what I am getting is normal treatment or agressive enought but my husband wanted a second opinion. I have to believe my team of Doctors are doing the best then can for me.
I think you should consider asking your doctor to make arrangements for a second opinion so you can feel more comfortable & have faith with the treatment you will receive. I was recently diagnoised so I am new at this but I am sure other people may be able to help you in your decision.

same treatment

I was treated for stage 3b lung cancer from 4/09 thru 6/09(radiation and chemo,no surgery)afterwhich, I was told that the tumor in the left lung and lympnode in right lung had successfully been treated. I was told to take off 3 to 4 weeks, and then we will reasses. However, before the 3/4 weeks were up,I felt a knot on my right shoulder between the ear and shoulder. I was told that this is common with Lung cancer and I was again treated with radiation and chemo starting 8/09. I had my last radiation session 10/09, and my last chemo 12/09. I had another PET scan on 1/10/10, and I was told all signs of cancer were gone.

My treatment consist of taxol and carbo along with radiation. I had radiation at 7:30 and chemo at 8:30 everyday for 38 days. I even drove myself to the treatments. I had no serious side affects. I knew to expect side affects. I did have the side affects but it wasn't unbearable. I was fatigued, couldn't stand the smell of food, and didn't want to eat. My dr precribed a pill for the nausea, I wasn't working so I came home and rested after each treatment, and as far as eating, I drank ensure, ate fruit,drank fruit drinks and v8 juice. I had lost 35 lbs before I was diagnosed, however, I didn't lose any weight during treatment. Today, I am now back to my old weight. My dr was amazed at how well my body did with these 2 drugs along with the radiation, turn the fear over to your higher power, maintining your stress level and peace of mind is very important. I hope this helps.

hansie

joyzee said:

same treatment

I was treated for stage 3b lung cancer from 4/09 thru 6/09(radiation and chemo,no surgery)afterwhich, I was told that the tumor in the left lung and lympnode in right lung had successfully been treated. I was told to take off 3 to 4 weeks, and then we will reasses. However, before the 3/4 weeks were up,I felt a knot on my right shoulder between the ear and shoulder. I was told that this is common with Lung cancer and I was again treated with radiation and chemo starting 8/09. I had my last radiation session 10/09, and my last chemo 12/09. I had another PET scan on 1/10/10, and I was told all signs of cancer were gone.

My treatment consist of taxol and carbo along with radiation. I had radiation at 7:30 and chemo at 8:30 everyday for 38 days. I even drove myself to the treatments. I had no serious side affects. I knew to expect side affects. I did have the side affects but it wasn't unbearable. I was fatigued, couldn't stand the smell of food, and didn't want to eat. My dr precribed a pill for the nausea, I wasn't working so I came home and rested after each treatment, and as far as eating, I drank ensure, ate fruit,drank fruit drinks and v8 juice. I had lost 35 lbs before I was diagnosed, however, I didn't lose any weight during treatment. Today, I am now back to my old weight. My dr was amazed at how well my body did with these 2 drugs along with the radiation, turn the fear over to your higher power, maintining your stress level and peace of mind is very important. I hope this helps.

i involinatrily
became very educated in sclc when my wife was dxed.so far, youre getting normal treatment,Be it 4,5 ,or 6 rounds front line chemo is on a patient to patient basis.after that they will want to do pci(radiate brain) let em...it didnt mess with barb too bad and she never had brain mets.God bless...ch