Small cell lung cancer stage 4

Hi sparklynan, I am so sorry to hear that your daughter has been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer.  This really is a stressful time for you and your family, and you are bound to be worrying about treatment options. I have not had immunotherapy myself so sorry I cannot share my own personal experience of this, but it would be hard for anyone to say whether your daughter would be eligible for the treatment as there are so many factors that the oncology team take into account.  You have to put your trust in the oncology team, that they will be working very closely with your daughter to get the best treatment for her. 

It is very scary when a family member receives a cancer diagnoses, and the fear of what is ahead, but talking to others who are in a similar situation to yourself does help you through this difficult time. There are several people here in the lung group who are supporting loved ones, but there are also other support groups in the online community you may want to join.

Family and friends 

Carers only

You will find several people there who are going through a similar situation to yourself.  You can also call the Macmillan support helpline for support 7 days a week from 8am until 8pm on 0808 808 00 00 

Good luck to your daughter as she starts her treatment x 

Hi Sparklynan, I am sooo sorry for you and your daughter, cancer really sucks.  My Mum has SCLC and it has spread to her Lymph nodes, liver and spine.  Like you I asked why she wasn't a candidate for Immunotherapy but was advised that the side effects can be so strong that they may not be able to cope with it or fit enough to receive.  We were advised that very few people with SCLC get it. I can't say much more as this was my Mum's oncologist, your daughters may advise different.  It seems to help better for NSCLC.

My Mum was diagnosed in July and has had 6 rounds of Chemo and just completed 5 days of Radiotherapy and doing really well.  At her last scan, after two rounds of Chemo, it had shrunk by a third. She has responded really well to all her treatments, with little or no side effects.  So good news.  I have been told that SCLC responds well to treatment.

You need to help your daughter eat healthy, high fat/high protein foods to keep her strength up and have a positive attitude to keep this at bay.  It's hard and draining on you too, I know.

My Mum has now completed all her treatment and we need to wait to get another CT Scan to see if it has reduced further, fingers crossed. We know that its not curable but this will give her time.

If you need to ask any questions, give me a shout.

All my love to you both xx