← Return to Anyone have Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation (PCI) for SCLC NETs?

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@colleenyoung

@mbkcanada, I believe that @tymish17 @tvichkon and @vlpr have mentioned prophylactic brain radiation or prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI).

I can imagine whether to have prophylactic brain radiation or not is a hard decision to make. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has a high risk for brain metastases, but what if you don't have metastasis? Age and other health factors also go into the decision making.

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Replies to "@mbkcanada, I believe that @tymish17 @tvichkon and @vlpr have mentioned prophylactic brain radiation or prophylactic cranial..."

It is a huge decision. I decided in 2022 when I was diagnosed not to have whole brain radiation. It has been a good decision. I did have brain metastases in the fall of 2023. Because I do brain MRI's every 3 months, it was caught early. I had gamma knife procedure (called surgery, but is really a very targeted type of radiation), and the spot was eradicated. I was able to go to lunch with friends right after the procedure. I've had no problems since. I'm going to continue to do what I call 'whack a mole' type treatments until it is obvious that there is no other choice. I know others that have had wbr and it definitely affects their cognitive abilities - more brain fog. My husband and I decided that I want to be me for as long as I can. Good luck with your decision. (btw: I am in a group with other SCLC patients who have shared about their experiences with wbr). Talk to your doctor, but the decision once you have the doctor's input is up to you.