Treatment options, poorly differentiated non-small cell carcinoma?

MNRebecca

Greetings, everyone. I had ovarian cancer 28 years ago which predisposed me to lung cancer which I now seem to have developed. It was discovered due to a mass on my liver. Additional staining on the liver biopsy sample revealed the non-small cell carcinoma to be poorly differentiated. Can anyone tell me what that means in terms of treatment options? The path forward seems less straightforward than it was for ovarian cancer. I will be meeting with my primary care doctor after a chest CT is read.

MNRebecca

And I’m back. The chest CT looks clear!?! And with the additional stands favoring adenocarcinoma, we are pretty much clueless right now about the primary site (and therefore about treatment options). Waiting to hear from an oncologist about next steps to track down that primary site.

MNRebecca

Latest theory: it’s bile duct cancer.

eDivebuddy

So sorry you're in this position. Get a second opinion on the pathology. I know the pathologist probably did but you should get one from a center part of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. If not at a large teaching center.

poorly differentiated is generally when the cells are dividing and growing so fast they no longer look like the cells they originally started out as. My cancer was poorly differentiated and I ended up.in the ICU within days. Nearly 5 years on and I'm still here so didn't kill me yet.

But do try to get the second opinion quickly. And see ab oncologist yesterday

MNRebecca

thank you very much and excellent work on the longevity!

thatblondegirl

Dear MNRebecca,

I’m so sorry you are having to go through having cancer again. I hope that very soon you will have some good answers and it can be decided how to best treat you. This board is very often very quiet, so I’m glad that you’ve gotten some responses.

I have survived cancer twice in the last four years. 2020: Stage II Fallopian tube cancer, secondary peritoneal. I had two surgeries and 6 rounds of paxlitaxel and carboplatin. I took Zejula (niraparib) for 2 years to try to prevent a recurrence. 2023: Stage IIIB NSCLC. I had 2 tumors in my RML and 2 positive lymph nodes, including one in my mediastinum. Because it was no where else, I was considered “operable” and could be treated with “curative” intent. I received 3 infusions of Opdivo (immunotherapy), pemetrexed, and carboplatin. PET scan revealed ALL was gone. I had surgery to remove my RML and all those lymph nodes on the right center side of my chest. Surgical pathology found NO cancer cells. It’s been 6 months and I have a CT and follow up in about a week.

You stated in your post, “…which predisposed me to lung cancer…” I would like to know, please, who told you that? Did you read it somewhere? I have tried to do some research today, but didn’t get too far. One study in 2022 found that there was some susceptibility to some other primary cancers, but lung cancer wasn’t on the list. It was only after my diagnosis that I found that something like 1 in 6 cancer patients will be diagnosed eventually with a second primary. NO one warned me about that, of course! It was all very shocking. There’s NO cancer in my family, anywhere, no one dies from cancer, going back 5 generations. I’m very lucky they caught both when they did, but wow…..it’s been a really tough four years.

If you have any information you could share, I would be very appreciative!
I wish you a speedy diagnosis and recovery!

A

MNRebecca

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1715070#Comment_1715070

Ah, the piney scent of Taxol! No, I don’t have a source. But following my treatment for ovarian cancer, I was immediately started on regular chest x-rays, mammograms, and colonoscopies to watch for lung cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer. That was back in 1997.

thatblondegirl

Thank you, MNRebecca!

Part of my problem was that GYN/ONC was all too concerned about my abdomen and pelvis that he ignored my chest. Won’t be letting that “ignore half the torso” thing to occur again! I’m insisting on full torso scans!

Best wishes to you!

A

MNRebecca

You go, girl! (I am getting that from your user name since I can’t actually see your gender expression). It’s so important to be your own advocate!!!!!!!!!