1. < Lung Cancer

Small Cell Lung Cancer: Let's connect

Posted by Merry, Alumni Mentor @merpreb, Jan 12, 2019

Most of the discussions about lung cancer has been about Non-small cell lung cancers. There are many sub-types of this that are included. But there is another type of lung cancer that needs to be discussed and that is Small Cell Lung Cancer. This aggressive form of lung cancer most commonly occurs in smokers. It usually starts in the breathing tubes (bronchi) and grows very quickly, creating large tumors and spreading (metastasizing) throughout the body.
Symptoms include bloody phlegm, cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Treatment includes surgery (for small tumors) as well as chemotherapy, sometimes in combination with radiation therapy.
Lung cancers cells are sometimes classified by where they tend to grow.
There have been huge breakthroughs in lung cancer research of late.
Please join @margot69 and I in this new disussion.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Cancer Support Group.

margot69 | @margot69 | Jan 25, 2019
In reply to @merpreb "@Margot- How wonderful that Dr. Wakelee was so thorough! I had cisplatin and it wasn't pleasant...." + (show)
@merpreb

@margot- How wonderful that Dr. Wakelee was so thorough! I had cisplatin and it wasn't pleasant. An oncologist nurse advised me to get an anti-nausea prescription and take it as soon as you get home from chemo, and to take it round the clock for a few days. See what your Oncologist will give you!
Fatigue is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy. Just go with it, Do what you can and don't do what you can't. Ask for help if you need it. Warm hugs! If you go to the Neuroendocrine cancer group please come backa nd visit and keep me up to date on how you are doing! Warm hugs

Jump to this post

Sorry, it is Carboplatin and Etoside. They are giving me IV Zofran before each treatment. I have the pills at home too but can only take every 6 hours. I took a Tigan yesterday, older med for nausea I have used for some time for my stomach issues. Skipped dinner. I think I feel worse since I started this, not feeling well this morning. Haven't checked the other group yet.

REPLY
2 replies
lady1lake | @lady1lake | Jan 25, 2019
In reply to @merpreb "lady1lake- I'm pulling for you!" + (show)
@merpreb

lady1lake- I'm pulling for you!

Jump to this post

Thank you Merry. I have to admit that I am nervous about whole brain radiation toxicity. I lost 2 teeth during last chemo/radiation & one of the possible side effects of WBR is tooth decay.

REPLY
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 25, 2019
In reply to @margot69 "This gets more interesting. I am under the care of a local Onc. I did go..." + (show)
@margot69

This gets more interesting. I am under the care of a local Onc. I did go to Stanford and saw Dr. Wakelee. She said she was going to present my case to the tumor board. I received this message from her yesterday.
,
We reviewed your case at our tumor board yesterday afternoon. We actually believe this is large cell neuroendocrine cancer instead of small cell neuroendocrine cancer. The treatment remains the same, but that explains why your cancer has been less aggressive than most small cell cancers. I would still support you getting the carboplatin/etoside and then considering potential radiation later if there are minimal sites of disease. I would NOT suggest the prophylactic brain radiation. The immune therapies (keytruda or opdivo) are options either way as we discussed, but the concern of worsening your underlying autoimmune disease are still there so we have to be careful. One can never predict time very accurately so remember the ranges we discussed. I hope all goes well.
Warm regards,

So, looks like a new diagnosis with really no new prognosis and this seems to be even a more rare type. Anyone heard of this? I have not had time to research.

I started my Chemo yesterday. By IV., first given Zofran with steroids then the Cisplatin then the Etopicide. Was there for about 5 hours. They just left the IV in. Went back today for the Zofran and Etopicide. I have been taking a Xanax before my appts. That only took a couple of hours. Was doing ok and had some lunch and lay diwn fir a bit. Now, I am not feeling so well and took a Tigan for nausea, no appetite for dinner. I have another treatment tomorrow then 3 weeks off. Only the second treatment and not feeling well. Anyone have tgese issues with this treatment? I have only just started.
Any feedback on her newest findings?
Thanks

Jump to this post

@margot- How wonderful that Dr. Wakelee was so thorough! I had cisplatin and it wasn't pleasant. An oncologist nurse advised me to get an anti-nausea prescription and take it as soon as you get home from chemo, and to take it round the clock for a few days. See what your Oncologist will give you!
Fatigue is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy. Just go with it, Do what you can and don't do what you can't. Ask for help if you need it. Warm hugs! If you go to the Neuroendocrine cancer group please come backa nd visit and keep me up to date on how you are doing! Warm hugs

REPLY
1 reply
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 25, 2019
In reply to @lady1lake "Still taking things one day at a time. Just glad to be able to go onto..." + (show)
@lady1lake

Still taking things one day at a time. Just glad to be able to go onto next step to surviving SCLC!

Jump to this post

lady1lake- I'm pulling for you!

REPLY
2 replies
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 25, 2019
In reply to @bluelagoon "Merry, Not sure what you are looking for specifically? They did blood test and CT scan..." + (show)
@bluelagoon

Merry, Not sure what you are looking for specifically? They did blood test and CT scan and there were no issues, so I'm good till next check up. Am I missing something?

Jump to this post

@bluelagoon- Sorry no issues. Didn't mean to ask you this.

REPLY
bluelagoon | @bluelagoon | Jan 24, 2019
In reply to @merpreb "yay @bluelagoon! That's just wonderful that your doctor was so receptive to making you feel so..." + (show)
@merpreb

yay @bluelagoon! That's just wonderful that your doctor was so receptive to making you feel so comfortable, answering all of your questions. When you get your tests results would you mind sharing them?

Jump to this post

Merry, Not sure what you are looking for specifically? They did blood test and CT scan and there were no issues, so I'm good till next check up. Am I missing something?

REPLY
1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 24, 2019
In reply to @margot69 "This gets more interesting. I am under the care of a local Onc. I did go..." + (show)
@margot69

This gets more interesting. I am under the care of a local Onc. I did go to Stanford and saw Dr. Wakelee. She said she was going to present my case to the tumor board. I received this message from her yesterday.
,
We reviewed your case at our tumor board yesterday afternoon. We actually believe this is large cell neuroendocrine cancer instead of small cell neuroendocrine cancer. The treatment remains the same, but that explains why your cancer has been less aggressive than most small cell cancers. I would still support you getting the carboplatin/etoside and then considering potential radiation later if there are minimal sites of disease. I would NOT suggest the prophylactic brain radiation. The immune therapies (keytruda or opdivo) are options either way as we discussed, but the concern of worsening your underlying autoimmune disease are still there so we have to be careful. One can never predict time very accurately so remember the ranges we discussed. I hope all goes well.
Warm regards,

So, looks like a new diagnosis with really no new prognosis and this seems to be even a more rare type. Anyone heard of this? I have not had time to research.

I started my Chemo yesterday. By IV., first given Zofran with steroids then the Cisplatin then the Etopicide. Was there for about 5 hours. They just left the IV in. Went back today for the Zofran and Etopicide. I have been taking a Xanax before my appts. That only took a couple of hours. Was doing ok and had some lunch and lay diwn fir a bit. Now, I am not feeling so well and took a Tigan for nausea, no appetite for dinner. I have another treatment tomorrow then 3 weeks off. Only the second treatment and not feeling well. Anyone have tgese issues with this treatment? I have only just started.
Any feedback on her newest findings?
Thanks

Jump to this post

Very interesting @margot69. Your doctor's note was very nicely written I must say. Neuroendocrine cancer or tumors are a category of their own and can appear in various parts of the body. There is a Neuroendocrine Tumor (NETs) group here on Connect: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/neuroendocrine-tumors-nets/

I encourage you to introduce yourself to the NETs group here:
- Welcome to the NETs Group! Come say hi. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/welcome-to-our-new-group/

There are other members who have neuendocrine tumors of the lung and will share more with you.

I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling so poorly after chemo. Besides the chemo, it is such a long tiring day. I hope you're able to sleep okay. Thinking of you.

REPLY
margot69 | @margot69 | Jan 24, 2019

This gets more interesting. I am under the care of a local Onc. I did go to Stanford and saw Dr. Wakelee. She said she was going to present my case to the tumor board. I received this message from her yesterday.
,
We reviewed your case at our tumor board yesterday afternoon. We actually believe this is large cell neuroendocrine cancer instead of small cell neuroendocrine cancer. The treatment remains the same, but that explains why your cancer has been less aggressive than most small cell cancers. I would still support you getting the carboplatin/etoside and then considering potential radiation later if there are minimal sites of disease. I would NOT suggest the prophylactic brain radiation. The immune therapies (keytruda or opdivo) are options either way as we discussed, but the concern of worsening your underlying autoimmune disease are still there so we have to be careful. One can never predict time very accurately so remember the ranges we discussed. I hope all goes well.
Warm regards,

So, looks like a new diagnosis with really no new prognosis and this seems to be even a more rare type. Anyone heard of this? I have not had time to research.

I started my Chemo yesterday. By IV., first given Zofran with steroids then the Cisplatin then the Etopicide. Was there for about 5 hours. They just left the IV in. Went back today for the Zofran and Etopicide. I have been taking a Xanax before my appts. That only took a couple of hours. Was doing ok and had some lunch and lay diwn fir a bit. Now, I am not feeling so well and took a Tigan for nausea, no appetite for dinner. I have another treatment tomorrow then 3 weeks off. Only the second treatment and not feeling well. Anyone have tgese issues with this treatment? I have only just started.
Any feedback on her newest findings?
Thanks

REPLY
2 replies
margot69 | @margot69 | Jan 24, 2019
In reply to @lady1lake "Today I received good news from my radiology oncologist about a Brain MRI that was performed..." + (show)
@lady1lake

Today I received good news from my radiology oncologist about a Brain MRI that was performed last Tuesday. There are no metastatic signs. Thank God! Now scheduled for whole brain radiation starting next Monday. This was recommended by the oncologists at Mayo Clinic for preventative purposes. I will have 1 session each day for 10 days.

Jump to this post

That's great news!!! My Onc at Stanford is not recommending that for me but maybe because of my age?

REPLY
lady1lake | @lady1lake | Jan 24, 2019
In reply to @merpreb "@lady1lake - what wonderful news. You must feel so relieved! I hope that the radiation is..." + (show)
@merpreb

@lady1lake - what wonderful news. You must feel so relieved! I hope that the radiation is successful as a preventive measure.

Jump to this post

Still taking things one day at a time. Just glad to be able to go onto next step to surviving SCLC!

REPLY
1 reply
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.