hi, we have just found out purely by accident that mom has small cell lung cancer, the doctor kept telling her she had a virus which had been going on for 3 months with mom being sick on a daily basis. He finally decided to refer her for a chest x-ray just in case there was a pocket of infection. We were told she had lung cancer, to say we are devastated is an understatement as we lost our dad to lung cancer less than 2 years ago.
She had a bronchoscopy and a head scan, the head scan was clear and from what the doctors tell us it looks as though it is only in her lung, she starts her chemotherapy tomorrow and she has signed up for the trial drug (thalidamide). My sister and I are sick with worry that we are going to lose our mom...our best friend. Does anyone know if she has a chance of beating this. It is so hard to be positive when we have already lost someone else to this.[/img]

Gay-Anne,
Welcome and yes, she does have a chance of beating this. We all stand a chance of beating what we have. Do NOT listen to statistics. DO listen to the advice of the Dr. and if you don't feel they are giving the best advice, seek a second opinion (good idea anyway). Since it is just in the lung it will be classified as limited stage and that usually responds well to first line chemo.
She has my prayers and best wishes.
God Bless,
MO

_________________
"Let Go and Let God!!", "Prayer, the best medicine money CAN'T buy"!!
Dxd 6/5/03 SCLC 9cm Tumor Right Lung Chemo(vp16/Carboplatin) 6/6/03 - 9/19/03 (5 rounds) Radiation to Chest 6/30/03 - 8/19/03 (31 Treatments) CT Scan 9/30/03-showed "Something" but Dr. feels it is scar tissue from Radiation and tumor is gone! 2nd CT Scan 11/11/03 No Change.
Completed 15 PCI treatments 12/9/03.
12/18/03 "Something" showing on follow up x-ray. CT Scan ordered for 12/22.
12/22 CT Scan shows continued shrinkage!
2/20/04 Liver Mets and Lymph Node involvment. SCLC and NSCLC diagnosis. Start Topotecan on 2/23/04 Stopped due to low counts Started Taxol/Carboplatinum on 3/18 with a Neupogen shot 7 days a week -Neupogen dropped to 4 times a week on 4/8/04. Shots dropped to 3 times a week on 5/13/04.
Picture Taken 12/10/03 with Grandson

Welcome, and I second what MO said. Don

_________________
72-yr old, married 47 yrs. Wife Lucie diag. 10/02 NSCLC (adeno carcinoma) w. multiple bone mets (skull, rib, upper spine, left hip and right fibula); non-smoker.

Radiation: 10-12/02 (spine, fibula); 03-04/03 (hip); 06/03 (sacrum); 07/04 (rib); 12/04 (skull); 04-05/05 (right fibula - recurrence).

Chemo: (Carboplatin/Taxotere), 02-05/03 - effective in reducing tumors; 07-12/04 (Navelbine) to treat recurrence in other lung, lymph nodes, rib - effective in reducing tumors; 08-12/05 (Navelbine/Gemzar) to treat recurrence in hip sacrum, spine, rib, shoulder, and liver - held everything stable; Alimta 2-4/06 - no effect; Carboplatin/Taxol/Avastin,5-9/06 - effective in reducing tumors.
Zometa monthly for bone strength.

Staph infection, systemic, 12/02 - second port-a-cath installed. Bilateral pneumonia, 08/03. Septic staff infection, congestive heart failure, 09/06 - deceased

I am 11-yr. prostate cancer survivor, Stage II (two bouts). Also 9 yr. heart bypass surgery survivor.

Avatar Pic: Don & Lucie, 02/06

Yes she does have a chance, a big one. I've made it this far and there's been no sign of my tumor for quite a while. Mine was found Nov 01, chemo and radiation started straight away and tumor had shrunk by end of Feb 02. PET scan showed no sign of cancer in May 02 and, except for the after effects of of treatment for a while, I have been real good ever since. I guess I'm almost a poster child!!
Stay positive for your Mom and MO's right don't listen to the statisics - I think my journey would have been much harder had I known what they said my chances were.
Will be thinking of you all, and rooting for your Mom.
Geri

_________________
Diagnosed limited sclc Nov 2001
Clean PET scan May 2002
June 2004 Clear CT scan and brain MRI
Good for another 6 months!
Dec 2004, another clean bill of health. next check w/scans may be my last!
June 2005, another good check up, next appt in a year and then I'm finished!!!
Sept 2005, Pericardial effusion, window cut, no cancer found, thought to be viral in origin.
Back to 3 month check with oncolgist. but NED is still my best friend.
Jan 2006, everything still clean, this cancer officially cured. Next check up in a year. NED still in residence.
Jan 2007 clean bill of health again!
April 2007 dx breast cancer, surgery in May and June. Lymph node involvement
August 2007, started chemo, radiation will follow
Dec 2007 Chose no radiation, risks high for small benefit because of lc radiation. Chemo causing shortness of breath.
Jan 2008 Talc procedure done after needle aspiration doesn't work for long (2 days). Now using oxygen most of time.
Feb/Mar 2008 One month hospital stay due to congestive heart failure, low blood pressure and high heart rate. Permanant valve damage.
Mar/Aug 2008 fighting for breath and energy.
Aug 2008 started breast cancer adjunct therapy, life was miserable with side effects
Oct 2008 changed medications and life was even more miserable. This one lasted another month.
Dec 2008, feel better than in last 2 years, finally I am myself again and no bc treatments!
Jan 2009 PET shows no sign of malignancy ANYWHERE! Echocardiograms are now more regular for me than cancer screens.
I now take pills that conteract pills that conteract pills that conteract pills...............and on and on, but I'm still entertaining NED and life is good.
August 2009, CT still clear, back in 6 months for another CT. NED still lives here!
Dec 2009 More congestive heart failure looming.
Feb 2010 Heart block - code blue but eventually brought back, pace maker installed, new birthday Feb 6th - I came back!!!!
March 2010 Heart damaged beyond repair,only a couple of months left to live. Not a transplant candidate (2 cancers) so LVAD implanted. I'm still on the green side of the sod but now as the bionic woman and my future is still as long as it would have been before lc..........expiration date unknown (or long as I remember to change my batteries) !

This beast is ugly, but it can be beaten back. Is there a specific reason your mom is going straight to a clinical trial? SCLC typically responds well to chemo, and a couple of types are very well-documented. My mom has the same type of cancer, so I'm really curious from a personal standpoint.

Welcome, take a deep breath, and visit often.

_________________
Jen

Mom, Claire, has extensive sclc, met to pancreas
As of 12/9/03, brain and bone scans clear
Started CPT-11 and cisplatin
12/22 After 2 treatments, Mom sent to hospital with chemo reaction and staph infection
12/28 Mom home, will change chemo
1/5/04 Start carboplatin and vp-16
1/23/04 Blood clot in arm, but tumors have vanished from CAT scan!!!
2/18 Starting 25 doses of radiation to lung and pancreas
6/1 Clean PET scan - stem cells collected, but poor pulmonary function - must improve before proceding.
8/6 - confirmed radiation pneumonitis, possibly fibrosis.
8/26 New cardiologist, steroids are helping a lot. PET shows neck lymph node, onc. not worried. Hair growing back!
12/28 Still NED, but 2 hospital stays have sapped strength. Cardiomyopathy, fibrosis interfering with energy levels.
3/05 Three brain mets - WBR
4/24/05 Mom is so weak, we're all worried. May 2005 - it was anemia!
August 2005 - holding steady, but new vision problems are scary.
Sept. - after a brief rally, brain mets return - gamma knife on Oct. 19. Mom is very weak, bedridden.
November - Time is short. We spoil Mom as much as possible, and she seems content.
December 11th - Mom passed away peacefully. Dad, my aunt and I were at her side.
Avatar is Mom on her 50th birthday.

Memorial: http://www.geocities.com/jen02825/momspage.html

Gay-Anne,
Yes, your mom certainly DOES have a good chance. Sounds as if it is limited sclc? That responds very well to chemo and radiation. I am a just turned 2 year survivor of limited sclc, having gone thru chemo and radiation in April - June 2002. No evidence of disease since then. GIve your mom a hug, tell her about us suvivors, and that she too can be one of us.
Joanie

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Joanie C SIX YEAR Survivor
[size=9]Diagnosed Limited SCLC, April 2002
Concurrent Radiation
(16 Doses twice daily)
And
4 Rounds Cisplatin/Etopside Chemo
All therapy completed June, 2002
Back to Work July, 2002
Diagnosed Hypothyroid, Nov. 2004
(due to radiation)
Evidence of healing on each CAT scan.
All scans Clear
Last Check Up Sep. 2005 - NED
Dec.12, 2005 Uncontrolled bleeding from tumor cavity. Emergency surgery performed which closed the hole permanently. Healing continues and I look forward to a bright future.
June, 2006 - NED on CAT SCAN. Scan shows IMPROVEMENT from December. Hurray! Experienced fevers through summer. Took antibiotics.
July, 2006 six month Oncologist visit. All is well! Go back in December. Hurray!
August 8,2006 Sudden,uncontrolled bleeding from surgery site. The tumor site was repatched with my own aumentim. All looks successful and I was released from the hospital after 33 long days.
Oct.19, 2006 bleeding returns.Tests reveal hospital-acquired germ has eaten away at tumor repair sight. Results in 2 more operarations and 13 days in hospital.
Recuperating at home. Daily nurse visits to change bandages on incision site.
March, 2007 - NED CAT Scan. Incision healing nicely.
April, 2007 - 5 year anniversary! Still bandaging the incision daily.
July CAT Scan - NED once again.
July 2007, operation to open surgical incision to promote healing. Still bandaging daily.
July, 2007 - was called a "walking miracle" by four doctors at the hospital. They were truly amazed to hear my story.
1/14/08: Lost my best pal, Dagwood, to old age at 14 years on . He helped me thru this struggle and I will miss him forever. I still consider myself to be "Daggiesmom."
Feb. 25, 2008: Finally had the repair surgery (9 hours and 7 days in the hospital) to close hole in my bronchus and to close surgical packing hole in back which has been open for 16 months. I expect to be healing for a few months.
January 2009 - I've healed nicely from the February operation and the CAT scan today showed NED once again!
March 11, 2009. Hemoptosys again and admitted to hospital. Due to bacterial infection. Bleeding stopped and I'm on antibiotics. Seems I am prone to these bleeds?

I do not want to alarm you, but I just came off of a trial of thalidomide/cpt-11 from I think it was Nov., 03 to Feb. 04. The thalidomide did nothing for my tumors and neither did the cpt-11, which I realize now is not a good stand alone chemo drug. Thalidomide is very slow acting if it acts at all. It made me very tired and constipated the whole time. I was on the maximum dose. The doctors know that thalidomide has the potential of shrinking tumors, but like I said it works slowly according to my oncologist. You may want to get a second opinion. I wish I had started out with standard chemo drugs now rather than some of the drugs I have tried. Good luck.

WOW what a small world. My mom just died of LC in AUgust 2003 and my dads LC was dx in January 04. Moms was NSCLC and dads is SCLC. Your mom has real good chances since it is Limited stage.

_________________
Shelly

lost MOM to Lung Cancer 8/15/2003

Lost cousin Tom to Tounge Cancer 1/1/2004

lost DAD to Lung Cancer 6/8/2004

sister dx'd Breast Cancer 6/11/2004

Lost Father in Law to Lung Cancer 4/23/2005