FROM THROAT TO LUNG

cindy b · New User Joined: 18 Apr 2005 Posts: 1

Hi, My father-in-law was diagnosed with throat cancer in Oct. He was not a candidate for surgery, but had chemo and radiation. (He is 67 years old). The tumor was 5cm and too close to his aorta. At that time, 2 spots were noticed on his lungs. Drs. said if it was cancer, the chemo would get it. Jan. - treatments were finished. Scans repeated. Throat cancer gone (they think), but spots still on lungs. Drs. comfortable watching. A couple of weeks ago, he went for more scans, and was told he has 10 new lesions on his lungs. and that he has an aggressive form of non small cell stage 4 lung cancer. Months to live. He has not bounced back from his chemo that ended Jan. 1. Sleeps most of the time. Has next to no energy. Has had GI tube from the beginning and is still unable to take food by mouth. He has lost a good bit of weight. He is to start Tarceva this week.
We have no idea what to expect.... should we get hospice? will this really improve the quality of his life? if he is still smoking, is it worth taking meds? what is the median survival rate for this type of cancer?

The throat doctor told him not to worry, he is not on his death bed. While we hope this is true, we want to be prepared for what the future holds.

They are not good at asking questions or allowing people to go to the dr. with them. They fear being an inconvenience. We want to help.

I know this is a lot of questions, any you can answer will be much appreciated.

One more, he has had a low grade fever for the last week. Always below 99.5. Is this something we should be worried about?

Thanks, Cindy

leo · Site Admin Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 1574

Dear Cindy,

Usually metastatic lung cancer has a poor prognosis as you probably know, but the one of the most important things is how he is doing in general, how mobile he is, if he needs assistance for his daily activities, etc.

Hospice is something that people can use to provide comfort. If he is still on active treatment for his cancer then hospice is probably not the best option right now. If he can quit smoking it would help to clear his lungs, as smoking impairs that ability to clear secretions, and therefore infections are more likely to happen if one is smoking.

Also, fevers are always a concern. He has multiple risk factors for infections, so he should seek medical attention for his fevers.

best regards,
Leo
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Leonardo F - Webmaster Cancer Forums
Disclaimer: this information is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice.

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