← Return to Mucinous adenocarcinoma: Anyone treated with Tabrecta (capmatinib)?
DiscussionMucinous adenocarcinoma: Anyone treated with Tabrecta (capmatinib)?
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Jul 30 8:21pm | Replies (14)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I have never heard of the SBRT radiation treatment. I just had another CT scan today..."
It sounds like you have a 2-3 inch tumor in the lower part of your left lung (lingula) close to, or behind, your heart. So it might be difficult to treat with SBRT since it is larger and close to the heart.
Like Matthew K mentioned above, your tumor is slow growing compared to most other lung cancers. If you can possible tolerate the Tabrecta side effects then it would be hopeful that it may shrink or slow the growth of the tumor the tumor more.
I like to plan an appointment with my family doctor/ primary care doctor/ for the week after the oncologist visit. My family doctor can call up all the scans and reports from his office computer when I visit him. He has more time to answer my questions. We look at my scans together so I can see what the oncologist was talking about. Plus my family doc is really good explaining things.
My family doctor is excellent source of other treatments that might help my daily life, like ordering physical therapy for breathing improvement. He might have some ideas for physical therapy to make the side effects of the Trabecta more tolerable. Maybe there is a massage type physical therapy to help with the swelling?
If you are having trouble sleeping or you get sad at night, he can prescribe xanex type pills to help you sleep and forget about the crummy diagnosis for awhile.
My family doctor ordered a sleep study for me to check my oxygen levels at night when I sleep. I don't snore, so I didn't need a cpap, but they found out my oxygen levels were dropping because my breathing slowed down. So now I use a large oxygen concentrator at night so my oxygen levels stay normal when I sleep. He also ordered a small portable oxygen concentrator. I strap it on around my waist in a fanny pack (it weighs a couple pounds) and it gives me the extra strength to go shopping or for a walk around the neighborhood. Think about what you need for help and just ask. All he can do is say no, but I find most often his office does all they can to help me.
@joycegray1940, maybe I can help a bit with the terms. GGOs, or ground glass opacities, are regions of light-colored patches that show up on a CT scan. Multiple conditions can cause them, including pneumonia, Covid, lung cancer, and others. In your case, they are known to be a radiological artifact of mucinous lung cancer.
The lobulated lesion is a nodule that looks like it has lobes. It's small and has grown about 30% in 3 years. That's really slow. I've had nodules (or nodes or lesions) that grew by 50% in 3 months and turned out to be benign. Your doctor will stay aware of them and see what they look like after your next CT scan.
Medicine is all about balancing risks. What's the risk if you stop taking Tabrecta vs. what's the risk if you don't stop? You can always ask your doctor why he or she is making their decision. Some people don't want the details, so you have to ask if you want to hear them. And you can ask how long he wants you to be on Tabrecta. He may plan to have you on it for a while and see if your lungs clear up a bit. Write down your questions when you think of them. It's the only way to remember when you're talking with your doctor. And do you have someone to go with you? I'm still in my 60s and I have my wife come with me. Sometimes, she remembers things the doctor told me that I don't.
I hope these comments help you a bit.