Mother in law has stage 4 lung cancer, she is 77 with dementia (awaiting full diagnosis but sever short term memory issues). She knows she has cancer and that she has not been 'given up on' in her words but cant remember the full details. The cancer did spread to the breast and they believe starting in the lymph nodes and possible adrenal glands.
Other than a cough and feeling tired she doesn't seem to have any symptoms at the moment.
They have offered a course of 20 days radiotherapy (6 weeks waiting list to start treatment). We have been given a prognosis of a couple of months without treatment, up to a year if radiotherapy is successful. She will have a review in 6 weeks to see if she is still able to have the treatment depending on how her dementia unfolds too.
Has anyone had experience of the side effect's of the radiotherapy treatment with stage T4 lung cancer, she is already quite week and tired and worried how this will effect her quality of life for the Short time she has?
She doesn't at the moment know her prognosis as we believe this information would not be beneficial to her and would cause more anxiety, we have spoken to nurses about this who agree with us at this stage. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Hi chiefsquirrel yes I have had radiotherapy, I had mine whilst I was inpatient and had a 5 day intense course.
The actual procedure is relatively easy. You are marked with a tiny tattoo which is just ink on a cocktail stick, and then every treatment you lay on a table and they line you up in the correct position guided by these tattoos. You have to lay completely still, you cannot move one millimetre. A machine like an X-ray machine, moves around the table as you lay still. It takes minutes.
Like all treatments there are side effects. I became extremely tired, and this became worse as the weeks went in. The radiotherapy builds up in your body and stays in your system for several weeks after treatment. My oesophagus became very painful, and eating became difficult. I also had a very sore patch of skin like sunburn on my chest and back.
I had very good results from the radiotherapy, and it can be a very successful treatment. The side effects I had were not pleasant, but everyone is different and it is hard to say how your mother in law will react. I think I would be worrying about her dementia, would she be able to lay still. I also had to be topless during the procedure, is this something she would be able to do without getting distressed ?
