Helping mum

Hi there. I'm new to this forum. My mum has been on quite a cancer journey. She discovered she had small cell lung cancer in February 2024 on holiday in Brisbane Australia. They diagnosed her quick and offered to treat her under the reciprical arrangement with the UK. After 3 weeks from initial detection, her first Chemo was administered. Roll on to now. She had 4 cycles of chemo and 35 treatments of radiotherapy on Oz. They were great, but the regime was hard on her. She's now back in the UK and has connected with the UK NHS lung cancer section at a hospital in Bristol. Here's the rub. Mum had excellent care in Oz, and scans that showed the areas of cancer to zap. Now in the UK, she's had her first CT scans. They can't tell what areas of her right lung were treated / where her 2 areas of shrunk/ dead cancer are, nor the 4mm nodule that her Oz oncologist asked her to keep an eye on. Not even a comparison of Oz CT scans has helped. 'Too much scar tissue to spot the reference points. So we go from certainty in Oz to complete uncertainty in the UK. It's dispairing. So mum has taken the decision to have a privately funded PET CT scan. The UK oncologist would be not order one on cost effectiveness grounds. Somehow, the light needs to be shined onto this darkness. I welcome any experiences like this and whether scarring from previous treatment has also got in the way of knowing if things are stable or the big C is on the move. And if the PET CT scan will help. 

  • Hi Aston_Villain and welcome to Cancer Chat.

    As you say, your mum has been through so much since she got diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in February, and I'm really sorry to hear how difficult her treatment has become since returning to the UK. This must be very stressful and frustrating for you both, but I'm glad your mum is able to get a private PET CT scan, which I hope will get her a step closer to the information and answers needed to get her treatment back on track.

    Hopefully you will hear back from some of our members soon but if you'd like to discuss this further with one of our cancer nurses, they're available on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m. They're very well informed and will do all they can to help.

    We're here for you Aston_Villain and sending you and your mum all our support at this very uncertain and challenging time.

    Kind regards,

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator