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Anyone out there living with stage 4 lung cancer?

Lung Cancer | Last Active: Sep 24, 2023 | Replies (143)

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@mblnyc

My sister was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. Doing chemo & radiation. Dr. blatantly told her today she had 1 year to live as if he was treating a cold! I refuse to believe that. She is fighting for her life! What kind of Dr. says such things with no compassion and this newest diagnosis????!!! We're not taking this sitting down! Any direction, comments or guidance are welcome...please!

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Replies to "My sister was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. Doing chemo & radiation. Dr. blatantly..."

The early days of diagnosis are so difficult. Sorry that your family had that experience with the oncologist.
There are so many types of lung cancer, many treatment options, and just as many differences in outcomes.
I would make sure that her team is having a biomarker test run. The result can help to drive treatment plans. None of us come with an expiration date stamped on our foreheads!, take care, hugs, Lisa

Hello @mblnyc and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. First, I am sorry to hear of your sister's diagnosis. It is unfortunate to feel like the doctor did not deliver such news with more care. I think in some instances, being direct is looked at as being important but in the same breath, care and concern must follow. It doesn't sound like that was your sister's experience, unfortunately.

I'd like to bring in members @lls8000 and @jannad who have been recent contributors to this discussion to see if they can start to provide you with some support based on their respective experiences.

At this time, what is the course of treatment your sister is on and how is she doing?

My doctor was very kind but told me I had metastatic lung cancer. That hit me like a ton of bricks as a never smoker anyway. I’m sorry this is such a difficult diagnosis. None of us really know how long we have to live because there are new targeted treatments out there to prolong life. It is essential to get genomic testing done to see if your sister can qualify for this. I had an ER doctor ask me what I did to get this disease. I replied, “well I never smoked, I never lived with anyone who did and I never worked in a coal mine so I really don’t know but I got it anyway.” People can be cruel and insensitive sometimes.