Expert: Karen Brawner - 4/20/2004

Question
Hi Karen, Thank you for this opportunity to ask you what questions should we ask the onconlogist. My sister diagnosis is large cell stage 3b lung cancer and we are meeting with the onconlogist tomorrow to discuss treatment. What questions should we ask regarding life expectancy and survival rates and any other suggestions.
Thank You,
Linda Barbera

Answer
Dear Linda,   You will probably get this answer too late for your doctor appointment but there will be more meetings with the oncologist I am sure, so what you don't ask now, you can ask then....

There are really no good questions to ask the doctor because ones like prognosis or survival rates, the doctor will either NOT answer or will not really tell you the truth... Doctors are in business to make money and they make money by telling the patient anything that will have them choose to have treatment and thus spend money...  However, I will tell you that Stage III-B is just one step above the lowest and worst stage which is Stage IV...  The only difference is that with stage III-B the cancer has NOT metastasized... However, if ct-scans of the body were not done yet and if brain and bone scans have not been done yet, this may not even be true....  Also, you must know that UNTIL the cancer cells that are traveling through the blood stream and the lymphatic system actually FORM a TUMOR, the doctors really can't be sure that there is no distant metastasis... These are things doctor DO NOT tell you or the patient, which is why so many people are mislead....

You sister will HAVE to have chemotherapy, this will be a must....  Also, the doctor/oncologist may recommend radiation therapy to the chest either before or after or in conjuction with chemotherapy....

Since you have already proably had your appointment with the oncologist, let me know what he/she told you and your sister and what chemotherapy drugs he/she is going to use...  Also, let me know if your sister has have body, brain and bone ct-scans done yet...  This is very important...

Large cell carcinoma of the lung and other NON-Small cell lung cancer grow and spread more rapidly that other types of cancer, and thus prognosis is poor for a 5 year survival rate....  All ratings and remission ratings are based on 5 years....  Large cell carcinoma at last look was about 16% for 5 years, thus meaning the other 84% would live less than 5 years....  Also, the high the Stage, the more possible if it does happen to be put in remission, the recurrance rate is also higher....

Please RESEARCH everything you can about Large-Cell Carcinoma of the lung and get educated...  Doctors will not like it when family and patient are educated about their cancer, but YOU and your SISTER will benefit MORE by knowing what you are TRUELY dealing with and not what some doctor is telling you....  This way you can QUESTION doctors and their decisions...

Here is just ONE of many web site you need to look at

www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/24413.html

Also go to the search engine YAHOO and type in this search phrase

large cell lung cancer Stage III-B prognosis

or

large cell lung cancer Stage III-b

Let me know what you found out today and if you have any more questions, just ask....  Thank you,    karen