BAC

My aunt was diagnosed with BAC a few months ago. She was a smoker. The doctor are giving her 6 months. She's too small and weak for surgery. The cancer, at the time of diagnoses, was location in the left lung. Last week, she had fluid removed.

Today, she was admitted to the hospital. She was doing so well a few weeks ago and had started the Tarceva treatment.

Any suggestions, anyone.

I have a BAC diagnosis as well, and have been on Tarceva for 12 months.  It is truly a wonder drug.  It works on the principle of disrupting the protein ability of cancer cells, thereby having the cancer shrink or not spread.  In my case, the cells were shown on CTs to have been shrinking for the first nine months.  My latest scan does not show any additional reduction in size, but it is not growing either.  Tarceva has traditionally been shown to work for a period of time, then the cancer cells adapt to it and figure out a way to start growing again.  Some patients have been on Tarceva for several years, some just several months.  It is variable.

I have had little side effects (compared to traditional chemo), but I did lose most of my hair despite what the makers of Tarceva claimed.  Not all of it, just a major thinning that eventually caused me to get a "buzz' cut as it was so very thin in spots.  This winter I wore a lot of hats and scarves. 

I wish you the very best with Tarceva, you never know what is possible. Keep believing, have faith and enjoy life as much as possible!

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