Does Anyone Know Of Lung Cancer Which Has Spread To The Brain And Eye To Go Into Remission?

My father, who is 50 years old, was diagnosed in May 2007 with non-small cell lung cancer with a single brain metastases. This was after he was wrongly diagnosed in November 2006 with tuberculosis and given a 6month treatment. He was feeling awful , but the doctor said (repeatedly) that was one of  the side-affects of the pills. After looking it up and asking another doctor about the pills we thought that he was right.Unfortunately, when we went back 6months later, the doctor said that he had to operate on my dad asap.We went for a second opinion and that's when he was diagnosed....       Did we lose precious time? God only knows. He started radiotherapy on  his brain in July and then underwent 2 courses of chemo which finished in January. He then had some more radiotherapy on his brain in February.He started taking Tarceva two weeks ago but he's having some trouble breathing and may need to stop it. Unfortunately, last week they found that the cancer has also gone to his eye. He's having CTs next week to see whether it's spread anywhere else, as he's also having pains in his arm.                                                                                                                

 The doctors have told us to prepare for the worst any time now, but if there is one chance in a billion that the cancer goes into remission, we are still hoping.I just wish my -once strong father wouldn't suffer. It's not fair!

                                             

      

 

 

Hello

I am sorry to hear about your father. Remission is always possible regardless of the stage. The issue with remission is that it can come back and that is more likely with later stage cancers. I would not give up hope. Brain mets are not as dire as they were once thought to be. The doctor of course is going to give you the worst scenario. Good luck and dont give up hope yet. I do know of some stage 4 people who did go into remission with their treatment.

Never give up hope. I am a stage IV lung cancer patient who had 3 brain lesions (not eye though). I had GammaKnife radiation and have had no further metastasis. I remain on Tarceva, my only chemotherapy treatment. I had CyberKnife radiation at 18 months after the tumor started to grow again. After 25 months, I currently have no evidence of disease! No one knows how your father will respond to treatment and no one knows how his body will fight on his own. One doctor said he would only have given me 4-6 months if he had seen my CT at diagnosis. I believe that love, joy, music, meditation, eastern energy medicine, community, and exercise helped strengthen my will to live and my power to fight but your father will need to find the things that bring him the most joy in all the days he has to live. A good way to help is to engage with him in something he likes. If he feels better after doing it, then keep on doing it. He will get better and better at knowing what his body needs.

Thank you both for replying to my message. I really needed the boost. My dad's CT results are coming out tomorrow. He had one CT of his head and one of his throat (as his doctor said that he is afraid that a strong pain in my dad's arm might mean a further metastases). My father also stopped taking Tarceva unfortunately. It made him feel awful, he couldn't eat and one of his doctors agreed to stop it and after he sees the CT results he will decide what to give him. However, his other doctor stongly disagrees and believes he should continue on Tarceva. What are we to do? We will hopefully know tomorrow!

Congratulations Dianal!I really do hope that from now on life treats you well and all you've been through is just a bad memory.