Stage 3 Non-Small Cell Cancer

I am wanting to get as much information as possible  on my friends conditon.  She has been given 6 months.  From all that I have been able to find out, there is no cure but, I need to know if there are any treatments that can expand the time given or if anyone has beat the 6 months given to my dear friend.  Any and all information would be greatly appreciated. God Bless all....

My husband was diagnosed with stage IV NSCL on November 1,2005. They originally gave him 4-6 mos without chemo and 12-18 mos with chemo.  As you can see it has been 19 mos.  I'm not going to say it has been an easy road, it has definitely been up and down.  He is not of perfect health but most days has good quality in life.  I think your survival rate has alot to do with the person's will to live.  My husband has always said that he is not ready to lay down and die yet..  I think his attitude has kept him strong.  He took first line chemo last year with great results, second line chemo this year but it damaged his heart and did not help anything but make him really sick.  As of a month ago he is on the chemo pill Tarceva.  Will not know if this is helping until next month.

Don't let the time line worry you, they are only statistics and everyone is different.  You and your friend need to concentrate on the good days and let the good Lord do his miracles.  He's the only one that can determine how long we have. 

Has your friend been given treatment options and is the cancer spread into any other areas besides lung?

My husband's was in 5 places when found and is now in 9 with growth in original 5 places.  I hope your friend has the strength to be a fighter.  The odds are being beatin everyday.

Good luck to you both and try to stay positive there is hope.  You will both be in my thoughts and prayers.

If there is anything i can do please let me know

Gayle

 

On 5/2/2007 Tamie wrote:

I am wanting to get as much information as possible  on my friends conditon.  She has been given 6 months.  From all that I have been able to find out, there is no cure but, I need to know if there are any treatments that can expand the time given or if anyone has beat the 6 months given to my dear friend.  Any and all information would be greatly appreciated. God Bless all....

Stage III lung cancer is treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy and survival with modern treatment could be much longer.It will depends on the cancer response to all these treatments.At least three lines of chemotherapy are available plus radiotherapy. If your friend is not in good general health and if she/he lost lots of weight prior to the cancer diagnosis then the prognosis is usually not very good as to length of survival.

Dear Gayle,

Thank you so much for taking the time to discuss this with me.  My friend is a fighter.  She has been fighting COPD for some time now.  She is on oxygen 24/7 before this diagnoses.  My fear for her, is the fact that she is in poor health to begin with.  She has 2 masses in the trachea. One is around 3cm's.  She is a strong and beautiful person.  I told her to talk to God, that he is the one miracle worker, that there is.

 I will also keep you and your husband in my prayers and I wish you both the very best.  There is nothing like this for clearing your mind on what truly is important in this life.  May God guide us all on this journey...Tamie

Thank you kindly for your reply!  She is around 70 and has had COPD for some time.  She has been on oxygen 24/7 for some time now. She has been a fighter.  She exercised daily.  She began to have pain in the shoulder, which she thought might have been from her back pack for the oxygen.  I realize that the COPD will work against her fight with the cancer.  She has a 3cm mass in the trachea...I would like to know your thoughts on this situation.  Thank you, Tamie

 

On 5/3/2007 Tamie wrote:

Thank you kindly for your reply!  She is around 70 and has had COPD for some time.  She has been on oxygen 24/7 for some time now. She has been a fighter.  She exercised daily.  She began to have pain in the shoulder, which she thought might have been from her back pack for the oxygen.  I realize that the COPD will work against her fight with the cancer.  She has a 3cm mass in the trachea...I would like to know your thoughts on this situation.  Thank you, Tamie

Radiation treatment to tracheal mass could be possible and should not affect her breathing very much. Good luck .

My Mom has NSCLC Stage IIIB and she is currently on XL647 which is a clinical trial in Cleveland (University Hospitals) and is also being offered in NY (Sloane Kettering) and Detriot (I don't know the name of the hospital though).  She has her first scan after 2 months on Friday, the 11th.  We are praying for the best.  I think if you google it, it should come up...If not, call the hospitals to find out if they are still accepting patients for that trial.  It is believed to work best in "never smokers" like my mom.