My mother has terminal lung cancer, stage 4 NSCLC with an EFGR mutation (I will never get those letters in the right order but I've a vague notion its about the epithelial growth?). She's suitable for osmertinib and due to start that in a week or so.
For different reasons, what should have been a diagnose and treat situation has been delayed, and we are now 2 months out from initial diagnosis. From reading up on it that sounds like mum's care is beating targets, and I'd just like to put on record that the hospital has been great and I wouldn't criticise them for the world. The delays have been caused by other external factors, and there might be more of them.
So my question is, at a stage 4, with the lung cancer spread to the spine and the lymph nodes, how long can we afford to wait before starting osmertinib, and does the delay impact its chances of being effective?
I have read that the average lifespan without treatment is 0.2 - 11 months. In that context, I feel like every week that goes by is putting her at risk, but that's just an assumption on my part. It's hard to find data on that specific question, so I'd be really grateful for any information.
