Treatment of lung adenocarcinoma

I’m sorry for your mother getting cancer, it’s a horrible disease and very frightening. I am not very clear on why you didn’t tell her, you mentioned that she is 63 years old, I was 69 when I was first diagnosed with lung cancer, does she have other medical issues that are stopping you from talking about her diagnosis?

@frouke Thank you for your reply. Other than cancer, my mom doesn't have other medical issues. I am in China, maybe the culture is different. We have't told my mom because We are afraid it might completely devastate her, but she will have to know eventually. We are doing genetic testing now, hoping there will be a targeted therapy available. Good bless.

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom's cancer diagnosis. You must be devastated after having her a negative PET and CT scan. I found the "waiting" for results can be very difficult. My genetic testing took longer bc it wasn't a common mutation. This may sound somewhat "airy fairy", but I started living my life with gratitude. I became grateful that genetic testing is now available. I've lost 5 (out of 10) direct family members who didn't have genetic testing available. I have lung cancer and waiting to find out what type of adjunctive treatment I will require after a lobectomy. You will need to tell your mom as soon as possible bc she has a right to know what is happening to her body. Thinking of you and your mom as you begin to move through this this journey. Please keep us updated on how your mom is doing. I will post my adjunctive treatment when I find out.

@donnademps hank you so much for your message—it really means a lot to me.

I’m also sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot, especially with the waiting. I completely understand what you mean—that part is really hard.

I’ve told my mom that her lung nodule is malignant, but I haven’t told her that it’s advanced yet. I understand what you’re saying about her right to know, and I’m thinking about that carefully. For now, I’m trying to let her take things in step by step, so she doesn’t feel overwhelmed all at once.

Like you, I’m trying to focus on gratitude too. I’m grateful that we were able to get a clear diagnosis and that genetic testing is available now. I’m really hoping she might have a targetable mutation.

I’ll keep you and your treatment in my prayers as well. I hope everything goes smoothly for you after your surgery, and that your next steps become clear soon.

Thank you again for your kindness. I will definitely keep you updated.

hello @tongxiaozhi - welcome to mayo connect. I'm sorry to learn of your mother's diagnosis. it sounds like you are being considerate of her by spacing out the news on her health. my parents also had cancer, so I can empathize with your position. from the perspective of the patient, whatever treatment her doctor will suggest will not be easy, so it's important that your mom is part of that decision making process. one thing you can ask about is what supportive care options are available for her during treatment (acupuncture helped my mother with nausea during chemotherapy). has your mom had a brain MRI yet?

@mamajite Hello, thank you very much for your reply. We were originally going to have surgery to remove part of the lung, but during the procedure the doctor examined the pleura using thoracoscopy and then decided to stop the operation. Before the surgery, we had a PET-CT scan and a brain MRI, and neither showed any problems. We are now waiting for the results of the genetic testing. Have your parents fully recovered?

I just received my genetic test results, and they show an EGFR mutation. This might be a blessing.

So sorry to hear about your mother's diagnosis. I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at age 57. I was short of breath after walking a short distance or standing for a short time and sometimes just sitting. I have the ALK+ gene mutation. I was the opposite of you. I didn't want to tell my daughters right away. They were both pregnant with their first child and I didn't want to add any stress to their lives. I did tell them shortly after being diagnosed and I am glad I did. I'm glad that your mother doesn't have any symptoms that interfere with her daily living. Good luck to you.

@tongxiaozhi it's good that both the PET and MRI were clear. have you learned which EGFR mutation your mom has? I hope there will be a good match with a targeted therapy.

it's kind of you to ask about my parents. they have both passed away now. 🙏🏻 my dad had lung cancer in the 1980s when treatments were more limited. and more recently my mother had lymphoma. she was able to have several years with us after diagnosis thanks to her treatments.

@tongxiaozhi, If your mother has the EGFR Exon 19 or Exon 21 mutation then this is good news. There is a targeted therapy for both of these mutations called Tagrisso. I've been taking it for 5 1/2 years and now have minimal side effects. My friend Frank has been taking it for 10 years and still works as a personal trainer. I wish you and your family all the best.