Finally received results

[Enair]

My wife in (Ontario, Canada ), has results from scans and liver biopsy. Stage 4 lung cancer non small cell that spread to liver and bones. Waiting to meet with 2 oncologists, 1 for radiation, 1 for chemo She was told that with no treatment, she only has 6 months. We are devasted, afraid, she is very fatigued, and her cough is constant and pain in her side from coughing. They do not want to suppres the cough. Looking for stories both positive and negative about radiation and chemo side effects. She wants to go for treatments, but quite worried what treatments will do to her. She is 67 years old, never smoked. Looking forward to your replies, thank you in advance.

[Hidden]

Hi EnairObviously it is a decision you/she will have to make and be well informed. However side effects can be a problem even if treatment prolong life. My only symptom has always been the cough and I used (and still does) to cough so violently I got my back on a bad shape. Anyway early in the year after being diagnosed at stage 3b I had radiotherapy and then few cycles of chemo and immunotherapy. I started to cough really badly and worse during the chemo cycles but my consultant think it is scarring on the lungs from the radiotherapy and not much to do about it! We are trying steroids at the moment but it doesn't seem to touch it. So although scan is quite clear at moment I do feel worse than I used to but am still alive as was also given 6-9 months without treatment.

I was wondering if she has been checked for one of these genetic mutations like EGFR or ALK as she never smoked.?

Good luck to both of you Chanie

[Denzie]

I, too, was told maybe 6 months without treatment. That was 11+ years ago.

Chemo is not the harsh treatment it once was. They have drugs that ease the nausea much better. IF she needs chemi, it is given in fewer days than it once was. Example: my chemo was days 1-5 and 8-9 then 12 days odd. Today many get chemo days 1-3 then 18 days off. And a new cycle starts. And people are living longer with it than they did.

That is IF she has chemotherapy. They are testing her cancer to see what mutation drives it. There is a chance that she may just need a pill (targeted therapy). She may also qualify for immunotherapy which has been a huge game changer in survival outcome.