Operable Stage IV

k9fan2 · New User Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 5

My husband just had surgery for NSCLC. They took out portions of two lobes of his right lung but left the middle lobe intact. They also removed a small spot on his sternum, and scraped tumor off two of his ribs. As a precaution the surgeon said he removed the outer covering of his spine.

They also took out some lymph nodes which did not appear to be malignant and did not show up on the PET scan but we havent gotten the biopsy results from those yet. The cancer is something called Spindle Cell which the doctor said was "better than regular lung cancer." Surgeon also said if most lung cancer patients were horses, then my husband is a zebra.

At any rate the surgeon said he was Stage IV but had a "good" chance. The doc is going to send him for radiation therapy for the chest area and chemo for anything else that might be floating around. He referred to it as "mopping up" and said if anything else did pop up, it could likely be removed. This seemed like good news to me.

However, everything I read about Stage IV says it is inoperable and that average survival is 8 mos. Has anyone ever heard of a case like this? Is eight months really all he is likely to get after going through this big surgery? Our doc is currently out of town and we don''t go back until 4/21 which is when he will get the referral to the oncologist.

If anyone has any info or thoughts on this situation, please let me know.

kris114 · New User Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 3

After that kind of surgery, I can't believe that the surgeon is out of town until 4/21 and expects you to wait until then to get a referral for an oncologist. If it were me, I would call the hospital and ask for another oncologist or surgeon to answer your important questions, and possibly to begin treatment. There has to be another surgeon there that is head of thoracic surgery who can help you, and if not go to another hospital for a second opinion. Also, request your husband's medical records. You are entitled to see this information.

Fatima · New User Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 1

k:

Seven years ago, my brother has almost the same as yr husband, but the lobe left intact was the superior. Them he had to make phisioterapy to enlarge this lobe, and only started radiation a month after being opered, because before he had to gain some weight. He took out a lot of lymph nodes that seemed to be malignant, but after all they were not - we received the results a month and a half after the operation.

Well, the surgeon told us they were going to operate but they had no hope - this was just to give him a better death, and we could expect 6 months time. This was the main reason why my brother did not stop smoking (yes, unfortunately he is a smoker). The surgeon said that he would have a better death because if they do not operate he sill dye of loss of air, and with the operation probably the cancer will dissemine to other parts of his body, but doctors will be able to control the pain.

This was 7 yrs ago, as I told, and my brother is still alive. And with no cancer. He is now 48th yrs old. Of course he has a limitative life, mainly because he gets tired very often, but even so he lives a good life. I believe that if he stops smoking, he would not be so tired, but he is unable to do so.

Well, just want to share this story as maybe it can be of some hope for you.

Fatima

p.S. Sorry for my english, as this is a foreign language for me.

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