Hi, my wife was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that has spread to lymph nodes and spine. She has had a 5 day course of radiotherapy for the spine( last session was on 20/1) she now has lost her voice and a head cold. Are these side effects?. Also how long is it between finishing radiotherapy till chemo/immunotherapy start as we haven't heard anything yet.
Dave
Hello Dave
Thanks for getting in touch. My name is Linda one of the nurses here on the Macmillan Support Line.
It would be unusual for radiotherapy to the spine to cause your wife to lose her voice and have a head cold.
Loss of voice may be related to her lung cancer or it could be related to the head cold. It’s common for lung cancer to cause hoarseness. I am presuming that your wife was tested for Covid19 prior to her treatment but it may be worth testing to be on the safe side.
I am not sure how long it has been since she was recommended for chemotherapy/immunotherapy, normally this would start 31 days after it was discussed with your wife. It sounds like they wanted to treat her spine tumour first. It’s possible that they may want her to recovery from her radiotherapy for a few weeks before starting more treatment.
I would encourage you to talk with her team to clarify when they plan to carry on with her treatment.
I hope this helps. Please get back in touch if you have any other questions.
Best Wishes Linda J.
Our ref : FY
