My mum in law has stage 4 lung cancer diagnosed in August. She had 1 session of chemo but ended up in hospital with an infection. She then had 5 days of radiotherapy and is feeling and breathing much better. She saw her oncologist 16 December and he is not currently discussing any further treatment until end Feb 2025. This seems quite a long time without treatment. She is on palliative care. Should I be concerned ?
Hi JenJ123
Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our online community. My name is Sherrye and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.
I’m sorry to hear that your mother-in-law has stage 4 lung cancer and her first session on chemotherapy resulted in her being admitted to hospital with an infection.
It’s good to hear that she’s feeling and breathing much better following her course of radiotherapy. I understand your concerned about her oncologist not offering any further treatment till the end of Feb 2025.
When an individual is having palliative care for their cancer the main focus is to keep the cancer as controlled as possible and to manage and control the symptoms they are experiencing, such as pain and breathing issues.
It’s common to have breaks in-between palliative treatments when the individual is feeling well and everything is stable. But it is important to self-monitor during time and report any new, worsening or changing symptoms to the oncology team for reassessment.
Mum-in-law can also contact the community palliative care team for assessment if needed and they can arrange for any medications or doctor assessments if needed over the Christmas period. Her GP or clinical nurse specialist (CNS) can confirm if she’s been referred to the community palliative care team yet, or do the referral for her.
It's important when caring for someone with cancer to also look after yourself. You and anyone else in the family are always welcome to contact Macmillan Cancer Support for information and support.
I hope this information helps. Please feel free to get back in touch if you want more information or support.
Best wishes,
Sherrye H,
Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm), send us an email or contact us through webchat.
Ref SH/ CC
