Surgical resection is rarely beneficial in patients with stage IV NSCLC, but, since she doesn't have distant metastasis, there are some chances for long-term survival rates if the primary and the metastatic tumors in lungs are treated with resection.

Are you sure she wasn't diagnosed with metastatic cancer in brain or other site?

Thanks so much for replying! I'm sure about it not being in other sites. We just returned from a visit to MD Anderson and they also confirmed it did not show anywhere else in the body and that the lymph nodes looked normal. But even there, we were told they could not operate and could not do spot radiation on the tumors - but still with no explanation as to why. They could only recommend chemo, which we can have done here. I feel like we're giving up. Everyone just keeps saying we can't, we can't , we can't but no-one is giving any explanation as to why. It's mind boggling the manner in which the doctor's here and in Houston have dealt with us.

Try to find and contact surgeon, subspecialized and trained in dealing with advanced lung cancer.
There are few cases of successfully treated advanced lung cancer with surgery.

Hi Gidget,

I feel your pain/frustrations. My dad was diagnosed in July. When we met with his oncologist, he had absolutely "no" compassion. My dad hates going to meet with him. Upon his diagnosis, his cancer was already stage 4 and is currently in his brain, lungs, and adrenal glands. They informed us he was not a candidate for surgery; however, he was able to have radiation therapy. They started him off with an intense amount of treatments. He went 5 days per week for 4 weeks. He recently completed those treatments and will start chemo next week. The doctors nowadays appear as though they were not trained in hospital etiquette. It is so sad. By the time patients are done meeting with their physicians, they need a serious dose of antidepressants. Did you mom have any symptoms?

My mother had bouts of "bronchitis" that would last for long periods of time. It seems to me she had these episodes anywhere from 1 to 3 times a year for at least 3 yrs; she says it wasn't that much. Doctor's would just treat the symptoms. The last couple of times she had it, it took even longer to go away. FINALLY a doctor did a chest x-ray and that's when they saw a nodule, ordered a CT Scan that showed 3 nodules, then a PET Scan, then biopsied one nodule. The doctor's here said 3 nodules, @ MD Anderson they said 4, yet everyone's looking at the same scan?! Let me know how your Dad does with the chemo. My Mother had her first chemo treatment 5 weeks after being diagnosed (that's how long it took to get appt with oncologist, then appt in Houston for 2nd opinion, to back home and another 2 wks of waiting before they treated her!!). So far she has had no ill effects from the chemo. She goes again next week. I am concerned about the back pain she is having. I know that one of the primary places lung cancer can spead to is the spine. The symptoms she describes are in line with that possibility.

How many chemo treatments has your mom had so far? I was against chemo initially because of the side effects. The oncologist initially informed us that my dad would receive the most aggressive form of chemo; however, we opted to try out the partial treatment. My dad is scheduled to receive chemo M-F for 2 weeks, allow his body to rest for a week, and then resume treatment.

My dad has also complained about pain in the lower back and side areas. Physicians did an MRI last Sunday and another on Wednesday. We haven't received the results back, but are a little nervous about results.

What type of pain management is your mom receiving? My dad is currently on 60mg Kadian (an opiate), Percocet, and Vicodin; none of which is effective in treating his headaches.

She has only had 1 chemo treatment so far, on Sept 5th and is scheduled for her 2nd on Sept 24. I don't know why some people have it more frequently than others. Part of me feels like maybe her Dr isn't being aggressive enough. But I don't know. Her's is just once every 3 weeks. When she went in for her back pain they prescribed her Loratab. She isn't needing to take it all the time but it does help when she does take it. They did urine samples to check for tract or kidney infection but those came back negative. They gave her an order for an x-ray, apparently that's how they plan to monitor her between treatments as well which I don't understand, how in the heck is an x-ray gonna show them if it has spread to other parts of the body?? Seems to me that would be a relavent thing to watch for in order to catch it early. Mom just called me and told me her hair was coming out now. So how is your Dad doing after the radiation treatments? From what I understand radiation side effects are worse than chemo. Did he have symptoms? My Mom was also diagnosed in July.

It does sound as though your mom's doctor isn't taking an aggressive approach to an aggressive disease. I didn't think my dad's oncologist was either. But in comparison, he's very aggressive. My dad currently has a team of doctors, whom which monitors him closely. He's had multiple MRIs and Ct scans since his diagnosis. He just went in on Sunday for an MRI and did another on Wednesday (first non ink and the second with ink). He has an appointment this upcoming Wednesday to have his blood work done to see if it has metatasized into the bones and/or glands.

My dad completed his radiation with little side effects (so we think). He had 20 treatments total. However, his has spread to his brain, so they only did radiation therapy to his brain. Shortly after radiation, his hair began to shed tremendously. So we've shaved it off completely. But it has started to grow back fairly fast. He also had an episode where he appeared to be a bit delusional, with violent outburst. He was admitted into ICU for two weeks. During this time; he was unable to speak, walk, or anything. The hospital staff had the family speak to a social worker and recommended hospice. They also wanted us to give them the consent to put a breathing tube in. We didn't allow them to do this because they informed us that if there did put the tube in, it would be permanent as his lungs were too weak to remove the tube. Which means, he would've had to stay in the hospital indefinitely. During this time, we were devastated as it appeared as though we were going to lose him. With lots of prayer and faith, my dad pulled through. He was released from the hospital with a hospital bed, wheelchair, and portable 3 in 1 pottychair. They attempted to tell us that they were requiring him to be placed in a skilled nursing facility. We strongly opposed. He is now able to walk, speak and eat on his own. It was a challenge because we had to teach him everything all over again. This all happened less than a month of his diagnosis. All this being said because the doctors didn't know if it was a negative side effect from the radiation or not. They recommended he not receive anymore radiation.

I find it strange they scheduled your mom's chemo so far apart. Everyone I know who has had to complete chemo, had to complete them consecutively for a while. Did your mom experience nausea, loss of appetite, or weak?

Mom did not have any ill effects from the chemo. She didn't get sick and has been eating normal. I'm going to post a new topic and try to get some input from others on her chemo schedule. Her hair is coming out now and she wants me to go ahead and cut it off. I think it will be very hard for us both emotionally. Every new step just makes it more real. Please keep in touch and let me know the results of your Dad's last MRI. I am praying for you and your family.

Hi all, I was diagnosed with NSCLC in Jan 09. My tumor was 7CM(not MM). I went to Moffitt to get treatment. It is now November and I'm doing well. I had 35 radiation treatments and 5 cycles of chemo. As of Sept, My tumor had shrunk by about 1/3 and the dr. considers my treatment a success. The doctors and nurses and Moffitt Cancer treatment Center a wonderful. They are honest, extremely knowledgable, professional and caring. I would recommend anyone to Moffitt. They are the best...