My husband was diagnosed with lung cancer in late october when he was having stents in his heart.
Therefore he has had to wait 3 months for treatment due to the risks from blood thinners.
He has secondary in his brain , which he has already had radiotherapy . He also has it in his bones ,vertebra and shoulder lymph nodes in his chest and now his liver too.
He is 77 and very good for being 77.
Due to have a liver biopsy in a weeks time to determine type. So off of blood thinners for now.
My question is, I have read the prognosis once in the liver.
As he appears well do you think chemo and radio would make him worse?
I just read that the treatment side affects are sometimes worse than the illness, especially if the prognosis is poor. What are others experiences please?
Thank you
Hello Tinkfa1543,
I'm very sorry to hear of your husband's illness. As you're aware all treatments have side effects and the severity can vary considerably person to person depending on the treatment(s) proposed as well as age and general state of health. The decision whether to proceed with any proposed treatment offered is very individual and as you'll well know a very difficult one to make.
Your husband is to have a liver biopsy to determine type so at the moment and although it would be reasonable to assume this is a spread of lung cancer, it's not certain until results are available. Until then potential treatment(s) and side effects are ucertain. Treatments could include immunotherapy as well as perhaps chemo or radiotherapy.
I had chemo (cisplatin and vinorelbine) several years ago designed to improve my chance of longer term survival following lung surgery. Concerned about side effects (age 58 at the time) and I started on the basis that I would start and if necessary stop at any time I chose if the effects became too bad. I did complete the course.
I hope you get the most favourable results possible and can then make the right decision with your husband.
Derek.
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