Bronchoalveolar cell carcinoma

afieldson
afieldson Member Posts: 2
in Lung Cancer #1
Have just been diagnosed with bronchoalveolar cell carcinoma. Don't know too much about it right now, except it doesn't sound very nice. I have had a bout with breast cancer [2006], had non-hodgkins lymphoma twice [1989 and 2006], squamos cell cancer [2007], and now this.
I will see a surgeon in a couple weeks and hopefully have surgery within a week of seeing him.
Does anyone have any 'positive' information about this particular cancer? I tend to think positively and I think that is just as important as any chemo or other therapy offered.
Grateful for any comments anyone wishes to offer.

afieldson

Comments

  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #2
    Fellow survivor
    Welcome! Though I haven't had as many cancers as you have dealt with, I was diagnosed with BC back in 2002 and then lung cancer in 2006. The pathologist told me that my lung cancer was very nearly BAC cancer and should be treated and considered as such. The great news about most BAC cancers is that they tend to confine themselves to the lungs. Also, they tend to be slow growers. Mine was still very small when first diagnosed and thoracic surgery to remove the lobe was the only treatment recommended. No chemo, no radiation. If the spot had been greater than 1 cm or in several spots, they may have recommended chemo. Some folks are candidates for treatment with targeted meds. You are more likely to be a sure candidate for that treatment if you are oriental in background, but it sometimes works with other genetic backgrounds. And some folks that were not obvious candidates on the genetic test still responded well to the treatment. Because BAC cancers are slow growing, they don't always respond well to the regular chemo regimes, so that is not always the first thing doctors recommend for them. There is not as much research for any kind of lung cancer as there is for breast cancer, however, some of that breast cancer research is spilling over to lung cancer treatment. I read an article last week that some breast cancer preventitives are reducing incidences of lung cancer. Who knows what that observation will lead to? One of the downers about BAC cancer is that it often shows up in multiple areas in both lungs.

    If you are looking at surgery, please check into the VATS procedure. Only some thoracic surgeons can do the procedure. It is a lot like laproscopic procedures on the lungs. Either kind of surgery(regular or VATS) will remove the section of lung that needs to be taken out, but the recovery rate from a VATS procedure is considerably faster. It is worth the trouble to check with a specialist who can do VATS surgery to see if he or she can take care of your cancer.

    Hope that helps!

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