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karenbeth
karenbeth Member Posts: 194
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
My boyfriend (with whom I live) had a seizure in July and they found numerous brain lesions (20-30). They did a biospy and determined it was metastasized cancer, although nothing had showed up on the CT scans of his body. He has finished radiation to shrink the lesions and has an MRI in a week to see how effective it is. Another CT scan showed a nodule in his lung and one small one in his adrenal gland. They are proposing a course of chemo to address the neuroendocrine aspect. They say the primary cancer is lung although they cannot be 100% sure. I was just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. Also, the radiation ended 3 weeks ago, and he stopped taking steroids a week and a half ago, and since then he has been extremely tired. I hope this is from the radiation or steroid stoppage and not something else. Every little thing sets off alarm bells for me, especially because one day in July he complained of a headache and the next I was calling 911. I just registered for this site and think it will be good for me. Thanks for listening, and any advice is appreciated!

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  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #2
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    Diagnosing Cancer
    I am glad to hear that they did a biopsy of his cancer cells. I am wondering why they couldn't tell from microgenetic testing what kind of cancer he had for sure. Does the path report label what kind of lung cancer he has? That can be important because different kinds of cancer, including different kinds of lung cancer, respond to different medicines.

    Unfortunately many kinds of cancer treatments really wear a body down. Don't be shy about calling the nurse at the oncologist's office for suggestions and concerns. That's what they are there for. Good luck!
  • karenbeth
    karenbeth Member Posts: 194
    #3
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    cabbott said:

    Diagnosing Cancer
    I am glad to hear that they did a biopsy of his cancer cells. I am wondering why they couldn't tell from microgenetic testing what kind of cancer he had for sure. Does the path report label what kind of lung cancer he has? That can be important because different kinds of cancer, including different kinds of lung cancer, respond to different medicines.

    Unfortunately many kinds of cancer treatments really wear a body down. Don't be shy about calling the nurse at the oncologist's office for suggestions and concerns. That's what they are there for. Good luck!

    Cabbott--they said non-small
    Cabbott--they said non-small cell. Microgenetic testing wasn't mentioned...can you explain? He just said his case is somewhat atypical. They are proposing a chemo tx of cisplatin and VP16--3 days every 3 weeks times 4. I did call about the tiredness and they pushed the date of his MRI up to next week in case fluid is building up again around his lesions. Thank you for your response!
  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #4
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    karenbeth said:

    Cabbott--they said non-small
    Cabbott--they said non-small cell. Microgenetic testing wasn't mentioned...can you explain? He just said his case is somewhat atypical. They are proposing a chemo tx of cisplatin and VP16--3 days every 3 weeks times 4. I did call about the tiredness and they pushed the date of his MRI up to next week in case fluid is building up again around his lesions. Thank you for your response!

    Testing
    If they can't tell for sure what kind of primary cancer they are dealing with, they can do further testing. Some hospitals have to send away for the tests because some require very special labs. In my case, I had a previous history of stage 1 breast cancer but a nodule on the lung showed up. I have a kind of breast cancer that rarely spreads, so my doctor decided to do a biopsy. It looked under the microscope to the surgeon like the same kind of tissue as my breast cancer, so they pulled out of the operation and stitched me up. But further lab testing (the microgenetic stuff with computer chips and the works) proved that I had stage 1 lung cancer not stage 4 breast cancer. So I got another operation a little over a week later to remove a lobe of my lung and no chemo for breast cancer. In your friend's case, it sounds like they are sure they are dealing with non-small cell lung cancer that presented first in the brain. Chemo would be normal treatment for lung cancer that has spread and what you are talking about sounds like stuff some of the other folks here have mentioned. I'm no doctor and sometimes you just have to go to the best one you can travel to and trust what they suggest. They may have an idea what might help with the brain too.Best of luck!

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