My wife was treated for extrapulmonary small cell cancer, that presented in the breast, from Dec 2021 until Feb 2022 (4 cycles of Cisplatin/Etoposide with concurrent radiotherapy) - she had a good response to the treatment which led to surgery (mastectomy), which confirmed, via pathology, that she had had a complete response to treatment.
Extrapulmonary small cell cancer is known to be aggressive (the Ki index for my wife's tumour was 95%) and she is all to aware and anxious that the cancer is going to come back fast and hard. This leads to my question - she is having fairly persistant headaches, and is also a bit wheezy with intermittent coughing - the fear is, is that this is the cancer returning as it is thought to metastasise to the brain. I am hoping that the above symptoms are side effects of her treatment - does anybody know if headaches and/or wheezing can be long-term side effects of chemotherapy/radiotherapy? My wife is having her next brain MRI and CT scans in early Sept, so we just hope that these symptoms are not a sign of recurrence.
Kind regards
Written by
Mitski
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It's very good to hear that your wife had such a positive response to treatment! I understand your concerns about her current symptoms and would encourage you to contact her doctor anytime there is a concern about a change in symptoms. They may be able to see her sooner which can offer comfort in having some answers.
Sometimes radiation to the breast can impact the lungs a few months after radiation is finished. This doesn't happen very often and it depends on the radiation dose and how long ago she completed her treatment. It may be a good question to ask her doctor since she is having some wheezing and coughing.
I'm not aware of a connection between headaches and long-term side effects from chemo. Is your wife taking in enough fluids? Dehydration can cause headaches. It may also be helpful to look at the other medicines she is taking to determine if headaches could be a side effect or related in some way.
Please keep in touch and let us know how she's doing after her upcoming scans. We are here if there is anything we can do to help you!
Many thanks for your reply Amy, it's much appreciated. Yes, we've arranged to see her doctor so hopefully this can ease any anxiety. I will indeed let you know how she gets on after her upcoming scans.
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