SCLC & Palliative Care - Post Chemotherapy

Hi  Loretta   Sorry to hear your dads situation. But I must say he has done so well so far, he must have a strong constitution which sounds good. Considering one tumour has disappeared and the other by 75% must be good news for you all. I myself have had NSLC, in which the tumour died with chemo/immunotherapy over two years ago. I still have scans and bloods done every 4 months  So far so good   I think it might be worth contacting his MacMillan nurse if you want more info on him without upsetting your parents to find a way around you asking questions  I’m sure someone on this site will come forward with some advice for you. I’m 70 myself, and I know how anxious and upset you can feel at times I still have my moments trust me even after 2 years it is always good to speak to someone who has gone through or going through this journey  It all appears to be going well for him and I do hope things remain that way for him for as long as possible  lots of good wishes to all of you    Ella

Hi, sorry to hear about your dad's diagnosis.

My friend was diagnosed with stage 4 SCLC back in early August 2023. She too was told that it was incurable and would be given palliative treatment.  She had four rounds of chemotherapy which shrank the tumour by about 80%, apparently SCLC responds very well to chemotherapy. After finishing her chemotherapy, she was then just put on immunotherapy, this treatment finishes in August this year.

From seeing her in August 2023, hospitalised with a pleural effusion and partial lung collapse, to then losing her voice because the tumour was pressing on her voice box, to seeing her now almost 20 months after treatment, she is a different person and is back to her old self. She has three monthly CT scans and follow ups, last one was two month's ago, and the cancer care team are happy with the results as everything appears to show no growth.

Her only worry now is what happens after her immunotherapy treatment ends in August as the chemotherapy and immunotherapy has given her almost two years of life.....her initial diagnosis only gave her 3-6 months, but that was if no treatment was given. Cancer treatment nowadays has come along in leaps and bounds over the last decade and new treatments are being discovered every day. I myself have been told by my oncologist that should my lung cancer recur, I had stage 1 NSCLC, because I have a particular mutant gene, (KRAS) that there is an oral treatment I can take to keep the tumour at bay. It has only been available on the NHS for two years.

Best wishes to your dad.

Thanks Ella, your reply was really helpful and hopeful. I hadn’t thought of speaking to my dad’s Macmillan nurse but that is a great idea. 

Well done you, I’m so pleased for you. Fingers crossed for those good scans and more good news for you moving forwards. X

Thank you Sanguinesse, your friends journey sound remarkably like my dad’s so I’ll keep everything crossed that the final round of chemo and following immunotherapy offer my dad as much time as your friend. 

Good luck to you too. I hope you never have to take that medication but it’s hopeful to know that there are treatments coming available everyday to battle these illnesses. x