Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 3/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: my mother was diagonised with advanced lung cancer no option for chemo or treatment she is 75 yrs old was a smoker til recently. she is on morphine for pain in rib and lorazapam for sleeping and anxiety. she is hardly eating this morning she was complaining cause she could not speak properly. can this be from the medicines she started taking the morphine about a week ago. she is on 0.5mg every two hours or when she needs it.

ANSWER: That is possible but unfortunately it is also possible that her lung cancer has spread to her brain causing this symptom. An MRI scan of her brain can quickly show if that is the case. Radiation therapy to her brain may give some temporary relief.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you again for your response. i am confused though. why is it only sometimes that this happens. am i to believe that this is the beginning and will get worse. How long will she be like this. i am worried because i work and i would just like to be prepared and to let my co workers know in case i must take time off.

Answer
It is actually very common that lung cancers spread to the brain. First of all discuss this with her drs. We will nor KNOW how it is until an MRI brain scan is done. If she does have cancer there her probable survival time will be around a few months - at most (may be much shorter). Apart from temporary effects by radiation therapy she will not get better. So this IS the beginning of worse things to come unfortunately if her cancer has indeed reached her brain. More I can not say at present.