Hello Claire and thanks for posting

I’m sorry to read about your situation. It’s understandable you're feeling concerned because of what you were told initially about your treatment plan and now you’ve just been told something very different. This must feel very unsettling.

It’s possible that after reviewing all your results the MDT have decided that surgery or treatment might carry more risk than benefit to you. There could be many reasons for this such as the tumour is in a difficult place to operate on, or surgery would be very high risk for you, or the cancer may be slow-growing. So instead of treating it straight away, they are choosing “active monitoring” (watch and wait).

However, you need to understand their decisions for you not having any treatment right now so do ask for a clearer explanation. Do also ask why you don’t need a scan sooner than they are recommending. If you have a lung specialist nurse involved in your care then perhaps they can provide you with further information. You often have to call and leave them a message and they will get back to you.

Some people also like to ask for a second opinion with another oncology (cancer) team as they want to feel that they have explored all their treatment options. You can ask your specialist to refer you. We have some information about getting a second opinion on our website.

I hope this is of some use to you. Give us a ring if you would like to talk anything over. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Kind regards,

Celene