dumb quesiton

lynntaylor
lynntaylor Member Posts: 39
in Lung Cancer #1
Ok, this may be a dumb question... but here it goes. My dad has been getting radiation treatments every day for 2 weeks, and two rounds of chemo so far... how long before there can be any noticable changes to the size of his tumor? I ask because his tumor is in his mediastinum and causing a lot of pain/discomfort. He is post op 5 weeks and still in a great deal of pain. Doctors say the tumor has grown since his surgery. Now that we are finally in a treatment regime I am impatiently waiting for some sign of results.. and a little relief for him. I'm sure all treatments are different for every person... but any thoughts on how long before the radiation starts to have an effect on the size of the tumor??
Thanks,
LT

Comments

  • Ex_Rock_n_Roller
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller Member Posts: 281 Member
    #2
    Dumb question (NOT!)
    The only dumb question is the one you don't ask! You obviously haven't been to enough business seminars or you'd know that! ;-)

    It may be a relatively unanswerable question (it must vary widely), but in my own case, I "noticed" a change after about two weeks of radiation (was able to squeak some breath through an area that had been completely blocked). It continued to improve over the 38 days of treatment.

    Barring symptomatic relief like that, it may not be all that clear cut. The best they could tell me on my first follow-up CT was that it hadn't got any bigger. It wasn't until the third scan that they could actually see reduction.

    So, sit tight. The improvement might, and most likely will, take some time to manifest itself.
  • JUDYV5
    JUDYV5 Member Posts: 392
    #3
    Tumor
    Radiation takes around 10-14 days to actually leave your system. So at 2 weeks he is actually seeing the effects of the very start of his radiation.
  • medi_2
    medi_2 Member Posts: 505 Member
    #4
    hullo
    I may be the lone ranger here but I never had any scans through my treatment (cisplatin/ep, radiation to lung tumor)and they waited a while to give me one after I had done. The reason for this (aside from doing unnecessary scans) was that there would be inflamation and they wouldn't get a clear scan.
    Cheers!
    Medi
  • JUDYV5
    JUDYV5 Member Posts: 392
    #5
    medi_2 said:

    hullo
    I may be the lone ranger here but I never had any scans through my treatment (cisplatin/ep, radiation to lung tumor)and they waited a while to give me one after I had done. The reason for this (aside from doing unnecessary scans) was that there would be inflamation and they wouldn't get a clear scan.
    Cheers!
    Medi

    Scans
    Never had any scans either through my treatment for neck cancer. I had my first ct 7 weeks after the radiation/chemo was done (July 21, 2010). They were going to do the next one tomorrow (that makes me a little emotional) but my body had different plans.
  • lynntaylor
    lynntaylor Member Posts: 39
    #6
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller said:

    Dumb question (NOT!)
    The only dumb question is the one you don't ask! You obviously haven't been to enough business seminars or you'd know that! ;-)

    It may be a relatively unanswerable question (it must vary widely), but in my own case, I "noticed" a change after about two weeks of radiation (was able to squeak some breath through an area that had been completely blocked). It continued to improve over the 38 days of treatment.

    Barring symptomatic relief like that, it may not be all that clear cut. The best they could tell me on my first follow-up CT was that it hadn't got any bigger. It wasn't until the third scan that they could actually see reduction.

    So, sit tight. The improvement might, and most likely will, take some time to manifest itself.

    lol
    Lol... RocknRoller, you sound like my dad. He'd also give me grief about my current impatience (if he felt up to it). The radiation doc said they'd do a scan at the 25th treatment mark to reaccess the radiation plan. The onc doc said they wouldn't do a scan until a few weeks after treatment ends... he said positive effects could continue after treatment ends. It's good to hear your breathing noticably improved during your treatments... I just want some of his discomfort and pain to be lessened...for obvious reasons, and I think a little positive news would do wonders for his mental state. Anyway... i'll try to find some patience... and keep taking it a day at a time. Now we're dealing with chemo side effects too... will put another post out soon to seek advice on those. I wish my dad could get on here too, but he just isn't well enough right now... maybe soon. As always... thank you all so much for your input.
    LT

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