Rare Adenocarcinoma

Posted by akita @akita, Jun 11 8:03pm

Hi. I'm struggling to understand what has happened. My husband has been on a ventilator just over three weeks now after a bronchoposy as well as recovering from a collapsed lung due to the procedure. Three biopsies later I and being told he has a rare lung adenocarcinoma and that's it. He was treated for pneumonia a few months ago, which never completely went away with the X-ray showing a spot on his lung. He is not a smoker and we eat very healthy. I'm trying to understand why this came on so quickly, and why the hospital cannot be more precise in what exactly it is. They are still performing tests that will help direct a treatment, if there is one. Oncology is painting a pretty grim picture. Has anyone heard of anything like this?

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frouke | @frouke | Jun 12 10:35am

I’m sorry for your troubles and I know how hard it is to go through this, I have also been through this so I relate to your feelings…it’s fairly common today that they discover these things when working on something else and this is very important because it provides early detection with better outcomes, they’re running tests to determine the best possible treatment for this type of cancer. I know that many people think lung cancer is something only cigarette smokers get but sadly this isn’t true, smoking definitely increases the risk for cancer but it’s not a picky disease and everyone is fair game especially with so much environmental pollution, even very young children get cancer and they haven’t lived their lives yet. I know that you will gradually get more information about what’s going on when they have it, in the meantime try to stay positive for your husband and also for yourself so that you can support him in this difficult time, I wish you and your husband a speedy recovery.

mamajite | @mamajite | Jun 12 2:44pm

Hi @akita - I'm very sorry you're dealing with such a difficult and worrying situation. Sometimes doctors aren't the best at explaining what they are doing. If they told you it's a rare adenocarcinoma, that means they genetically sequenced the biopsy samples to check what specific type of cancer it is. They do this to best match the treatment options. You can ask to see those results (they usually send the samples to a special lab for this analysis - and that lab will provide a report.) My advice would be to talk to an oncologist at a NCI designated cancer center in your area, if that is possible. (I have a rare adenocarcinoma myself.) I hope you have a friend or family member that can help support you through all of this.
https://www.cancer.gov/research/infrastructure/cancer-centers/find

akita | @akita | Jun 12 4:08pm

In reply to @mamajite "Hi @akita - I'm very sorry you're dealing with such a difficult and worrying situation. Sometimes..." + (show)

Thank you for reaching out to me. I actually contacted a cancer center today. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I've run out of time as I'm being told he has fluid around his heart and probably will not be with us much longer. Still struggling to understand how this all happened so suddenly.

Lisa, Volunteer Mentor | @lls8000 | Jun 12 4:40pm

In reply to @akita "Thank you for reaching out to me. I actually contacted a cancer center today. Unfortunately, I'm..." + (show)

@akita, I'm so sorry to hear this. In some cases, this disease can come in fierce and fast. I hope the doctors are wrong. His body is tired, but I'm sure he loves you very much. Please try to take care of yourself in the days ahead. I hope you have the support of family too. Hugs to you.

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