Thursday, February 4, 2010

I have stage 4 lung cancer how do you know if the chemo is working

I have stage 4 lung cancer how do you know if the chemo is working?
I have had 4 chemo treatmeat how do i know it is working? I have 2 more treatments to go before they do scans.Is there a way to tell just to ease your mind?
Cancer - 6 Answers
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1 :
By a MRI or. PET scan
2 :
an exray, your team will be keepping an eye on you. Good Luck
3 :
Your Doctor's will order ongoing tests during and in between your chemo treatments. Hope this helps some.. Good luck.
4 :
I am so sorry you have this dreaded disease...With my limited knowledge of cancer. Been in my family a lot, and just the experience with family members and the treatments they have gone through, is to sit tight my friend, have a lot of faith in God and the means available that God has put in these specialist hands for it to work for you. Stage four is very advanced and its going to take many sessions for you to start feeling better, but you will be able to breathe a little more easier, otherwise there is no real way of telling other than waiting it out for your next scan..I truly hope you are going to feel better very soon...Without sounding like a bible puncher, have faith in your Father God, and His will be done.. God Bless and have many healthy years ahead of you.....
5 :
Your doctor will do various exams to see the progress. Xray, and other sorts of Scans of your lungs will determine the effectiveness. Good luck, we are here for you.
6 :
I'm not sure about lung cancer, but my son had multiple abdominal tumors. He was also a stage IV with tumors in the diaphragm, spleen, lymph nodes . . just about everywhere. He responded to chemotherapy within the first month and felt immediate relief. His largest tumor had displaced his heart and moved it upwards. When the tumors began to shrink he felt his heart shift and fall back into place. Which made him feel better. The tumors also had stretched his abdomen, so when they started to shrink he was able to eat more. Generally he just felt much better. So, I think that it depends on the type of tumor involvement you have and the symptoms you've experienced. If the chemo is working you should be feeling an improvement. However, the only way to really tell for sure is to have a PET or CT done. If you have had 4 chemo treatments than you are due for a CT, at least. If this hasn't been scheduled you need to call your doctor. Usually a CT is done by the fourth or sixth week to establish baselines and keep track of progress (or lack of progress). If the CT shows lack of progress they may switch your treatment. Best to you.

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