one more question sorry! Would you recommend a brain scan? My mum (recently diagnosed stage 4) has been scanned from the neck to the waist. When I asked the oncologist how we would know if it’s spread tot he brain- he said he advised againgst a scan;
Psychologically very hard for a patient to handle this news
She would not be eligible for immunotherapy which is starting next week
she had an incident last week where she forgot a key part of an important phone conversation which has got me worried
many thanks in advance for any advice
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Jill75
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Please get a second opinion regarding a brain scan. My husbands GP requested one on two occasions for my husband as we had concerns. His oncologist refused & a couple months later he was taken to A&E where a scan showed mets to the brain & sadly too late to treat. I urge you to get the brain scan. I personally know of 3 people who’s brain mets were caught early & successfully treated.
Sorry to hear about your mum, this must be an extremely worrying time for you. I think the right thing to do is to discuss this again with the Consultant who knows your Mum’s case. We would always advise that new symptoms be discussed with the Oncology team, so tell them your concerns about her forgetting the conversation. The team will know whether a scan is recommended based on new symptoms and should assist in an informed choice with regards to treatment options and limitations. I hope you get resolution today. Bear in mind If there is anything else you would like to discuss you can email ask the nurse at lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org or call our free phone nurse led helpline number on 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600
I can only add to earlier comments. I was under the impression that a brain MRI was standard for staging lung cancer. My husband had one when he was initially diagnosed and then a 2nd (about 18 months post diagnosis) to make sure his brain was still clear. He is stage 4 and is successfully treated with immunotherapy.
If your Mum can't have immunotherapy because she has brain mets, then surely you should find this out. But as Cockailschemocancer says, she had brain mets and immunotherapy so the advice you've been given sounds unusual. My husband's onc has suggested that if he did have brain mets, he would still continue on the IO.
- brain mets can be successfully treated with radiotherapy, so if she has them, it is really important to know about it sooner rather than later.
I hope you get some helpful answers from her team.
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