Smallcelllungcancerextensive

hi! mt husband has small cell lung cancer extensive, he joined a cancer research and has been a patient for two months. there saying if his white blood count is to low for chemo next week, there dropping him! does anyone know why?

i do not know for certain. here is my thought:

white blood cells fight infection.

if his white count gets very low (<0.5), even the smallest infection has the potential to cause sepsis (infection everywhere) and kill him. they do not want to see him die.

if they give him chemo, his white count drops very low. Then they postpone giving him the next round of chemo until his white count is back to normal. Depending on how long that takes, he may not be getting enough chemotherapy to have much effect on the cancer.

As I said, this is just my first thought.

Perhaps contact the doctor running the study and ask him why, and also ask him for suggestions as to what to do next. This may be best done by making an appointment to see him in the office and sitting down with him face-to-face with your husband's records in front of him and talking.

My father has extensive small cell carcinoma as well. Are they giving your husband the shot of Neuplasta (pegfilgrastim) after the treatment? This seems to make a huge difference with my dad. He rebounds quickly after his chemo. What is the chemo regimin your husband is on? He needs as many white blood cells as he can hang on to so he can fight off any infections. The chemo kills the white blood cells as well as the cancer cells. If his count is too low they won't risk doing more harm by doing the chemo. Ask about the shot if they aren't already giving it too him.

Hi,
My wbc was low most of the time I was on chemo. I was also getting the Neulasta shot every two weeks to boost my wbc. I also tried eating lots of good protein (chicken, eggs, fish) to help my counts. It might be that because he is on a research they can't give him the shot because it will change the data they are looking for. I would check with the lead doctor also to find out if that is the case. Also ask the doctor if he can get back on the study once his WBC is back up. What chemo is he on? Good luck.

Lisa

Hi Lisa,
I'm hoping I can pry a little. I read your response about you being on chemo and what not. Do you have small cell lung cancer? If that is the case, then first of all, I am so sorry!
I'm trying to get a grasp on my father's situation and I'm not having a lot of luck with it. He was originally diagnosed in October with pancreatic cancer. After a biopsy was done, it was discovered that he actually had small cell lung cancer with mets to the pancreas. Either way, the outlook isn't so great. He started chemo on Nov 1 which consists of Carboplatin on day 1 and etoposide on days 1, 2 and 3. We follow with the Neuplasta shot on day 4. They are hoping to get 6 cycles in. We have completed two at this point. Even after his first cycle, I couldn't believe the turn around in him. He went from not being able to eat anything at all to eating everything he wants. He has lost a lot of weight of course but we're hoping that will taper off. The Dr.'s have told us that they cannot cure him but they can "buy him time." They are hoping for 13 months. What is your chemo regimin? Do you have any information at all that might benefit us at all? My father is being treated at a VA Hospital so I'm not always confident about the up-to-date treatments there. At one point, they discussed looking into a cancer study but never brought it up again. As far as I can tell, now that he has started chemo, he's disqualified for many if not most of the studies.
Any information and/or thoughts you might have would be terrific.
Thanks!
Tammy J

My husband has SCLC, he went into full remission but but it came back in his liver. because chemo and radiation gave no hope, he is using the

Bill Henderson cancer protocal,  diet in Patrick Quinlin "Cure your cancer with Nutrion" . Besides immune system supplments, vitamins, coral calcium, Dr Rath protcol,  and too much to mention,  he is trying Cesium Chloride, high Ph therapy, it should work on any type of cancer, he went into CR after one reound of Chemo, but endured 6 rounds, radiation every day to head and chest. His CR only lasted about 2 months once he was off chemo. The second time around the tumor shrunk by half and  appears to have stopped growing, now that chemo is over what does he have loose,  cancer is a sugar feeder, no sugar, white flour, white rice .  there is alot of CAM's out there a good place to start is

Cancertutor.com

Bill Hendersons book is a good guide to get started quickly.

and Patrick Quinlins book is wonderful, in a study 44% SCLC patients were still alive 6 years later by using his diet along with chemo and radiation.

 

There ph therapy if you can keep ph at 7.4 cancer will not grow, I hope this is true. I was very suprised by his doctors response last week, he thought it was wonderful and belives that it could help at least to some degree. 

Lea Ann

 

On 11/28/2006 Rebecca44 wrote:

hi! mt husband has small cell lung cancer extensive, he joined a cancer research and has been a patient for two months. there saying if his white blood count is to low for chemo next week, there dropping him! does anyone know why?

Hello! I just started chemo about 2 weeks ago. After my first chemo , I was giving a shot you get 24 hours after chemo is giving, called Neuplasta. Well! 7 days after every chemo they do lab on me. When I went back 7 days after chemo and got my lab done and 15 mins after they gave me my results, least to say my WBC was 2.1 very low. They told me to take Levaquin since you can come up with anything! and a special diet. Apparently the shot had not kicked in yet. Well about a few days later , I was in the most horrible pains and thought I was going to put myself in the Hospital. I Immediately called the emergency number they gave me, and right away a doctor called me back. I told him I was in the most horrible pains in my bones and could not sleep at all. He explained to me that the Neuplasta was entering my bone marrow and thats why I was in pain. Let me tell you! he told me to buy and take 2 Aleves, Instantly! the pain was gone. The nurse that gave me this shot never told me what were the side effects of this shot. Anyways! I had gone on a friday for lab, they asked me to come back on Monday for more lab and check my WBC, that weekend was the horrible pains. Guess what! when I went back on Monday, Guess how my WBC/ white blood count was up to 15.3 that was Incredible! I could not Believe how well that dam! shot worked once it was in my bone marrow. I did not even have to take the Darvocet he had prescribed in case! I needed something stronger, cause just the Aleve 2 pills took care of it. The Doctor did tell me, that 2.1 was not that bad considering the chemo had brought the WBC down that much. THIS NEUPLASTA IS A PAIN IN THE REAR, BUT! IT SURELY BROUGHT MY WHITE BLOOD COUNT UP TO 15.3.,....I am new to all this, and I am learning so much , its unbelievable! just make sure you ask about side effects on anything they give him, cause Honey! I surely was never told by the nurse how bad the pains would be after that Neuplasta shot, and to only think! that Aleve would Aleviate me Instantly. I eat like a pig, and Honestly I think besides this experience, I am doing very well, considering I just started treatments. I have Lyphoma, Hotchkins. I hope he can get a Neuplasta shot and you will see how high his WBC will go up. just make sure you have those Aleves ready for the pain. BEST WISHES VICTOR FROM MIAMI.