Small Cell Lung Cancer: Let's connect

I have just started my second round of chemo. Cisplatin and Etoposide. My treatment yesterday was supposed to be a 6 hour treatment with Cisplatin first followed by Etoposide. When Etoposide was added, I had a severe reaction of strong back pain. Demerol, Dexamethosone, and later when I started flushing with heat, Benadryl were all added to the iv. A rest period to give time for the drugs, then Etoposide was started again with no issues. This happened on my first round too. When I awoke this am, I was very nauseous, and felt yukky all over. I did not want to eat, but cooked up some farina (cream of wheat). The more I moved and was physically active, the better I felt. I ate my breakfast even tho I was not hungry. I'm going to keep mild exercise in my 'tool kit' for when I don't feel good. Hopefully this is a tool for both of us. It's not a long trial, but did work this am. Blessings and good wishes for your journey. VLR

Hi Kelly, your friend is blessed to have you on her side through this. My brother was on this exact regimen, and with other health concerns as well. He was also extended stage with Mets all around his lungs and in his liver. He would have some tremors for about the first week after each treatment. When they dropped off the two chemotherapy drugs leaving only the tecentriq (atezolizumab). They didn’t happen anymore.
I won’t try to say that he has been side effect free, but he has had some quality time and he is two years past his diagnosis.

@klb72863, I'm tagging fellow members who have experience with small cell lung cancer, like @margot69 @bluelagoon @olgamarie @auntieoakley.

@popkorhn's husband had the same protocol as your friend: chemotherapy (carboplatin and etoposide) plus immunotherapy (atezolizumab).

If atezolizumab is the culprit, there may be an alternative immunotherapy agent that could be used or something that could be used to reduce the symptom of tremors and to help her sleep.

Has your friend talked to their symptom management nurse about the tremors?

Thankyou for the feedback. The answer from the medical team is non-committal. That is partly why I posted as I was trying to see which drug, if any, is most likely the cause of the hand tremors. Plus I am hoping someone might have an idea what might be done during treatment to reduce the effect.

Thank you Amanda - The answer from the medical team is non-committal. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Knowing which drug caused the problem and that you recovered after treatment is helpful. You might be right about the Atezolizumab given the LONG list of side effects. Thank you for your input.

Hi Kelly, you’re really a wonderful friend to have your friend’s back during her cancer treatment. As you can see it’s not an easy journey and she needs all the support she can get. She’s on some powerful medications to help her fight this cancer and I’m so sorry she’s having side effects of tremors. I was on a medication that had a similar affect and it was annoying and unnerving at times. However I had the advantage of knowing which drug it was and that this was an expected side effect which would go away once off.
For your friend, this has to be particularly stressful as she doesn’t need anymore uncertainty added to her already full plate. I’m looking at the 3 meds she’s on and I’m wondering it it’s the Atezolizumab, that is creating the issue. I found this informational article about the side effects of this drug.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/atezolizumab-intravenous-route/side-effects/drg-20311657
Searching the internet isn’t always the most trustworthy source, for sure. Your friend’s symptoms are significant and if she’s worried, she really should be letting her doctor know. Has your friend spoken to her cancer team about this?

I am helping a friend who has recently been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, stage 4, and it has spread to other areas. She is receiving chemotherapy (carboplatin and etoposide) and immunotherapy (atezolizumab). After she received her first round, she developed significant hand tremors (impacts her daily life and sleep). Is this a known side effect of any of these drugs?

She has never experienced these tremors before starting the treatments. Are there any potential treatments that we might discuss with her doctors, just to relieve or reduce her symptoms?

There is chatter on the internet about a linkage, but I don't trust that info necessarily. Any help would be appreciated.

Kelly

That is so true, everyone has a battle they fight. My brother was diagnosed about a year ago, just after we lost my cousin to lung cancer. It was a very hard time for our close knit family. He just keeps keeping on. He just sold his house and moved into an apt. Just down the road so I can help him more. He gets his tecentriq today. Are you still on some form of treatment? Is it managed kind of like when it comes up? Or steadily and constantly?

Chris- Good morning and thank you. Small cell lung cancer is difficult to treat because it's so aggressive. I'd love for your brother to join this group and to meet him. How is he doing? How long has he had cancer?

I've had non-small cell lung cancer for 23+ years. We all seem to have battles to fight. But fight, we do!

Thank you for posting this, I am sending this link to my brother. I will let you know if he attends, or better yet maybe he will join connect FINALLY, and tell you himself. You do so much for this community, thank you!