Hi - my wife is on abemeclib daily and has been for 14 months. Recently past 3 weeks she has quite a nasty cough and blocked up nose.
we had blood tests last week at our oncologist and all bloods where fine - but I was thinking that these bloods tests although do have biomarkers in them they wouldn’t necessarily pick up any lung issue - my main worry is obviously secondary lung cancer
my wife does not seem concerned but I am
Hi Jamesdw,
Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our online community. I hope you find it a helpful space. My name is Kelly and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.
It’s good to hear that your wife’s blood tests are fine but not that you are still having ongoing worries about secondary lung cancer due to the symptoms she is having.
It’s not uncommon for abemaciclib to affect the immune system and increase the risk of infections such as cold and flu like symptoms. An inflammation of the lungs can also happen which can cause a cough, breathlessness and a temperature.
This can lead to an extremely rare infection called pneumonitis as a result of inflammation caused by the drug. We would always recommend speaking to doctor or nurse involved with your wife’s care more urgently if the cough or cold like symptoms worsen to rule this out as a cause.
Sometimes chest x-rays or scans may be considered to assess this.
The best way to get the reassurance you are looking for is to get back in touch with your wife’s consultant or named Cancer Nurse Specialist if she has one today. Your wife may need to give permission for them to speak to you.
As they are directly involved with her care, they will be able to support you with any questions and concerns you still have about your wife having a secondary lung cancer. Maybe ask them to explain about what blood tests they did and what the results mean too.
It’s important to look after yourself while you are supporting your wife too.
Sometimes people find strength in talking to others who may be in similar circumstances. Our family and friends group on our online community offers this type of support.
Local cancer support centres can offer further emotional support too. Our in your area service can help you explore what services are nearby.
We also have supportive nurses on our phone line who would be happy to talk over any concerns you have if needed.
I hope that this information is helpful. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch again. We often find that we can help people more by talking to them directly. You can speak to one of our experiences cancer information nurses by calling our free helpline on 0808 808 00 00 or by webchat seven days a week 8am-8pm. You can also email us back and we aim to reply within two working days.
Kind regards,
Kelly
Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
Ref: KA/GHi
