The right decision

[jegandy]

Hello, my name is John, i was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, I have been told that i could have radiation or surgery, by doing surgery I would lose 1/2 lung on my left side, I have also been told that radiation could also get rid of it without surgery.

[Hidden]

Hello, my dad also has lung cancer. His first line of treatment was Radiation , and it made a difference, the tumors shrunk a lot. Still, now is going through chemo. Seem to be going in right direction. Do the radiation first.

[mbrad24 in reply to Hidden]

Quite the decision to have to make. Depending on where your lesion is and its proximity to the heart I would opt to have surgery. As well it depends on so many other factors. So many have heart complications after radiation therapy. However, I had a lobectomy in 2014 and I am still here. So I am glad that I had surgery.

[Faith17]

Hi John...wow quite a decision to make. First pray to God Almighty for direction and guidance. Second your team of doctors should be able to help you which route is best to take, for me my pulmonologist was integral in assisting me; but rest assued that you will have the best and most experienced advise from this awesome community including the administrator. I had surgery for lung lobectomy one year ago....adenocarcinoma or NCLC. THANKS be to God after surgery i did not reqire chemo nor radiation. You'll be in my prayers. Good luck in any decision you make🙏🌹 please keep us posted

[Mardee in reply to Faith17]

Me too. Had surgery. No chemo or radiation after surgery because lymph nodes were clear. Three years in remission. At diagnosis, also had two second opinions. Both said take the surgery option instead of chemo or radiation. The best cancer option you can have is surgery as first option. In many stages, surgery is not an option at all. So I felt fortunate as I I had stage 3b adenocarcinoma. I had Davinci robotic surgery.

[Scud]

Hi John I was diagnosed with lung cancer I am on oxygen 24/7 they said my heart would not take the strain of an operation so I had an intense course of radiation I am pleased to say everything went well my oncologist is pleased with the results I am feeling great enjoying life and keeping busy , I am sure the will advise you which route to take hope everything goes ok for you please keep us posted

Sue x

[Memaw0100]

Only you can decide what route is best. I lost half a lung , but was not given options. I would have to say I would go with removal. If it's gone, that's one area of concern gone. I wish you luck and much success. God bless!

[Steph60]

As was stated earlier I would ask my oncologist for which option he would do if it was him. If he says they are both equal treatments then I would have the surgery. I was diagnosed as a 1B NSCLC, had surgery and it was suggested that I have chemo do to the location of the tumor. I did my research and talked to my oncologist who said that I would never be stage 1B if it came back. I did chemo, since I never wanted to look back and say what if I would have chosen the other option. Good luck with this very difficult decision.

[FtB_Peggy]

Hi John. So glad that you came here to talk and think this through. Listen carefully to your medical team, ask as many questions as you need to make this decision, then trust yourself. As you can see, you will get wonderful advice here! Great community! Welcome.

[pmsusan99 in reply to FtB_Peggy]

Susan99

Hi John, l am on immunotherapy, had 3 radiation treatments which shrunk nodules on lung and brain it's now working on tumor showing some shrinkage

Good luck

Ask everyone!

[JeanE41]

I had a left upper lobectomy in 2015 for nsclc adenocarcinoma. I was told at the time that if they could do surgery, they were going for a cure. It was a long recovery (I am now 75), but well worth it. After a little over 2 years I am doing well. No matter what treatment you choose, you will have a new normal. Your life will change, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing.

I wish you you the best with your decision and your treatment outcome. They all have their pluses and minuses. Keep us informed about your journey. We learn from and support each other here.

Jean

[anrean]

Hi John

I chose radiation because surgery meant breaking my ribs, and that is a very painful and long recovery. Since I have 12 tumors left, we are radiating them one at a time as they get to significant size. This is my personal decision - I don't want what time I have left to be spent in pain.

Yes, I asked the oncologist which to do, and we talked extensively about the options and what each option meant. I go back 8/17 for a CT scan and another long discussion about the mext move. For me, quality is more important than quantity.

Each of us is different; we have differnt prioritines and we make decisions based on those priorities,

May God help you make the right decision for you,

Lauri-Anne

[FtB_Peggy in reply to anrean]

Lauri-Anne, good luck tomorrow. We will be thinking of you. Hugs.

[ThePurplePlace]

John,

It's never easy, you have to do what you truly feel is best for you! I never had the option for surgery (Stage IV NSCLC with a brain met), neither of my tumors were operable. I started with Cyberknife for my brain tumor and it was 100% successful. That was back in late April of 2016 (I was diagnosed in March). I then started on Chemo (Carbo and Alimta) and did quite well for several months, even reached NED. However, in time the lung tumor did come back and was even more aggressive, so I then had 10 rounds of Radiation and started on Opdivo (Immunotherapy) back in December of 2015 (shortly after it had rec'd FDA approval as a second line treatment). I had excellent results and am now Stable and have follow up scans/labs (every 90 days). As of my June scan, this is just one tiny "blip" and my Onc feels it's most likely remaining scan tissue. I have been off treatment and stable for almost a full year now. Feeling pretty darn good and enjoying life with a wonderful new Grand-daughter, a precious gift I never truly imagined would be in my life, at the time of my diagnosis. I feel very luck and fortunate that my Onc came up with a treatment plan that worked this well. (I did also seek a second opinion, which I always recommend).

If I had to start over, and even if surgery was an option, I still think this would be my "personal" preference. I'm not a big fan of surgery and even "minor" procedures I have had done over the years all ended up being an issue, so surgery for me is last choice!

I wish you the very best and hope whatever you choose, it will work very well!

~ Lisa

[scifiknitter Blogger]

John, you are at the center of one of the hot controversies in lung cancer treatment right now: is radiation as effective as surgery for early stage patients for whom surgery is an option? Ask your doctor if there is any research about this choice. I do know people who have lost half a lung and a whole lung who are leading active lives. A hard decision to make, I wish you well as you sort out what you think is the best choice for you.

Anita

[katherineNED]

Originally I was diagnosed with stage 1 NSCLC in my upper left lobe. I had surgery to remove the lobe. The surgeon didn't just want to take out the tumor but the whole lobe for a better chance at a cure. He removed lymph nodes at the time of surgery and unfortunately 3 of the 15 he removed were cancerous that did not show up on the PET scan. I do not notice any difference in breathing or stamina with the lobe removal and if I had to do it over again I would still remove the lobe if it would mean a cure. Talk with your oncologist and thoracic surgeon. Best wishes!

[JRuthI1946]

JOHN, DID YOU MENTION YOUR age? I think it could be a part of your consideration.. By now I believe you have gone back to the Dr. What was his advice?

[Palmdalegirl]

I would do the surgery and get rid of it completely