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My brother has incurable thymic carcinoma and I need to know what stage

Lindiana
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My brother has had thymic carcinoma - diagnosed 3 years ago. He had surgery to remove it but they couldn't get it all. Since then he has had 2 rounds of radiotherapy and 3 rounds( 6 Sessions each) of chemo. Just had a scan and it has grown 7 mm despite chemo. They don't want to do any more radiotherapy and poss he's had too much chemo. But his surgeon doesn't want to operate as he feels it's too dangerous. Is there anything else? What does this mean for him? He either doesn't know or isn't telling me. Thankyou 

  • Hi Lindiana,

    Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to the Online Community. I’m Kate one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists here on the Macmillan Support Line.

    As a support line we do not have access to medical records and are a separate service from the NHS, so are unable to answer specific questions regarding individual treatment.

    I am sorry to hear about your brother and his diagnosis of Thymic Cancer. This must be a difficult time for you both.

     Due to the cancer coming back it sounds quite advanced. There may be other treatment options that could control the cancer but not cure it.

     Having further treatment would depend on how well your brother is. It is important for your brother to speak to his team if he is unsure of the plan going forward. He can also get in contact with his GP if he has symptoms that are not being managed.

     You may also find it helpful to chat in more detail with one of our nurses, by giving our support line a call. We often find we can explain our answers in a bit more detail over the phone, giving you the opportunity to ask more questions if needed.

     I hope this information is useful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in contact by email, webchat or phone, if you need further information or support.

    The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks* on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

    kind regards 

    Kate,

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    Ref KE/GeS

     

     

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