4th Line Chemotherapy

[Brianderrick12]

Happy New Year everyone- I’m supporting my brother - he was diagnosed at stage 4 - he’s entering his fourth year since diagnosis & has had various treatments- what happens after 4th line chemotherapy? He’s having that now - 2 more sessions left - he tolerates chemo quite well & as his family we were just trying to prepare for the next stage - he’s convinced that this is the end for him & there’s no treatment left - he has mental health issues so it’s hard to ask his oncologist when he’s sat next to me - any information gratefully received Thankyou xx

[PMint]

could be immunotherapy and a targeted drug - ask your Clinical Nurse Specialist

[Brianderrick12 in reply to PMint]

He’s had both of those already - can they be repeated ?

[PMint in reply to Brianderrick12]

I don’t know but when I asked CNS about options she said there were several options and that new treatments are appearing all the time - there are also clinical trials

[Brianderrick12 in reply to PMint]

Thankyou

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Hi Brianderrick12

Sorry to hear about your brother and perhaps the challenging circumstances you and the family are experiencing. It can depend on the type of lung cancer he has and if there are any specific mutations/biomarkers present if he would be eligible for future treatment. I see from another post that your brother has had these treatments already.

It would be best to discuss this with the oncologist or lung cancer nurse specialist, if your brother gives you permission, perhaps a telephone consultation when you are on your own.

It may be that they rest his body after his treatment is finished and continue with check scans before they commit to any future treatment.

You may be interested in the national guidelines for lung cancer treatment pathway from NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence)there is a flow chart of the types and treatments of lung cancer from this link: nice.org.uk/guidance/ng122

I see someone has mentioned clinical trials to you also, I have placed a link below on these for your information:

nhs.uk/conditions/clinical-...

cancerresearchuk.org/about-...

and

bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/

clinicalnet.com/

It is worth noting that there are strict entry criteria into trials, e.g. no recent treatment within past few months, and worth discussing with the oncology team perhaps later on.

You or your family are welcome to contact our ask the nurse helpline if you wish to discuss anything on 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600, or you can email us at [e-mail]

We offer both one to one phone support or online support groups through zoom, and you can view and register for these through this link:roycastle.org/help-and-supp... alternatively you can email our support coordinator Ellen Knapp at [e-mail]

Kind regards

Ask the nurse support team

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

[JanetteR57]

happy new year. it's good he has you for support and also common to find it hard going if he has other issues. Over the years I've been involved in lung cancer research (since 2013) there have been many new treatments approved as well as combinations of existing treatments and different doses of therapies and changed delivery methods. All this is possible because of research around the world to find better treatments to improve outcomes for patients.

I've been privileged to meet and get to know many patients over the years. At some point they were in the same situation but some accessed clinical trials for new treatments or whilst on treatment, new treatments were introduced into standard of care. never give up..... treatments are designated on clinical evidence so not all treatments are available to all patients - some depend on certain mutations within the tumour or certain biomarkers like protein levels (PDL1) and which line of treatment it is. However even that is changing with treatments introduced pre surgery or after surgery which is also a novel approach for some who may be eligible.

Does your brother have a clinical nurse specialist he could talk to for support? Roy Castle lung cancer foundation and Macmillan both offer nurse led helplines which can be useful too. Roy Castle LC foundation also offers online support groups for patients and relatives which you may find helpful too. There is also printed material that can be downloaded from their website or posted out to you about the different treatments. good luck to you both.