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I am a family member of a patient from China, SCLC
My father was diagnosed with SCLC on 7/10. Age: 61, male, with a 40-year smoking history. The current situation is that the tumor size is 47*33. PET-CT and MRI both showed no metastasis, but the stage given by the doctor is T3N0M0 (stage 3A), because the doctor said it has invaded the pericardium. Our current treatment plan is two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, then reassess for surgery. We have already completed the first cycle of chemotherapy + immunotherapy, and the second cycle of chemotherapy is expected to start next week. Because many doctors for SCLC do not recommend surgery, we are now choosing to reassess surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and we do not know whether this choice is correct. We hope to hear everyone’s suggestions. Also, I would like to ask whether the five-year survival rate for SCLC is really very low?
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Welcome @tanhao, I'm sorry that your family is facing this diagnosis. It's difficult to hear this news and not knowing what to expect is understandable. We all react to treatments differently, some of us are in better health when we begin treatment than others. This makes it difficult to compare cases. On Mayo Connect, we are patients that have found each other for support. We do not have clinical backgrounds.
Each treatment plan will come with risks and benefits. Weighing those and making a decision is often one of the most difficult parts of this process. Do you trust his team of doctors, or do you have reason to question their approach? I'm not sure if you are able to get an opinion from another lung cancer specialist. If that is a possibility, it may help to confirm that this is the preferred treatment plan.
Survival statistics are just that, statistics. They don't tell us how long each of us will be here. I understand the seriousness of SCLC, but you'll find some people that struggle, and others who thrive. Remember that the five-year rates that you are seeing are lagging behind the current treatments and combinations of treatments. The five year rates for my specific type of cancer have increased since I was first diagnosed six years ago. I hope that your father responds well to the chemo. How is he doing after that first infusion? How is your family holding up?
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