New area on lung after treatment...

lynntaylor
lynntaylor Member Posts: 39
in Lung Cancer #1
Looking for some help/ insight. My father (stage 3A NSCLC) has finished 5 months of chemo/radiation for a very large tumor in mediastinum/top of right lung. He had a CAT scan the end of June (when he finished up radiation) that showed the tumor had shrunk 85%! We were thrilled! He has continued though to have a bad cough... that has worsened. He had another CAT scan this week to check lungs, stomach, liver area. Liver and stomach showed up clean... but a new spot/area showed at the top of his right lung.. was not seen on June scan. Is it possible for the cancer to start growing again that fast... so soon after treatment has ended... treatment that initially shrunk it so much??? They want to see him again the end of Sept.. and possibly do a PET scan later in the fall. If it is the cancer, shouldn't we be doing something now?! God I hate this roller coaster, and I hate this damn cancer!!!

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  • AlanRinHBG
    AlanRinHBG Member Posts: 121
    #2
    New Area?
    Hi, This sounds alot like me. Tumor was (is) at top of right lung. Mine was dubbed
    (Pancoast).Look that up and see if the symptoms are the same as your father. This type only occurs 2 to 3% of lung cancer types. Mine was inoperable because of involvement with spine. They shrunk it with 30 Tomotherapy rads and chemo. I was told that it would recur almost definately. I appreciate their honesty. Normally that would happen in the first year or two they said. It's been two years and nothing yet. I get a 3 month CT next week.This cancer is slow growing How big is the spot? It could be nothing. It is a rollercoaster and I hate it too. Ask those Drs. all those questions. Don't let them up for air. Ask them if Cyberknife is an option. It works for alot of lung tumors. I've read and heard also that the treatments like your father did can take quite a while and are still working.

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