Hi Maz,

A very warm welcome to our forum - the one that nobody really wants to join.  I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I can fully understand your anxiety while waitng for your biopsy results. Do you know when you will get these or are you waiting for a phone call?

I am glad to hear that you are a positive person. The more positive you are in yourself, the better the outcome is likely to be. We have a number of ladies here who are grade 4 and have been for some time and they are still doing well. Have you been told whether or not chemo might be an option for you? Some people undergo this to try and reduce or slow down the rate of growth in the tumour. It is not a suitable treatment for eyeryone unfortunately.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. In the meantime, we are always here for you, whether for information, advice or just to rant

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thanks for your response..I have an appointment on wed with an oncologist and hopefully will have some results then.as of yet there has been no mention of treatment until they find out what cancer it is.i think the worse thing is that I feel no different health-wise to what I did weeks ago.. hopefully there will be something for me as I am not one to take no as an answer. Would love to be connected to anyone in similar situation even tho I do know every case is unique

This is what my husband has posted on this thread: 

Optimum Timing of Immuno/Chemo and Targeted Radiotherapy?

My 50 year old wife has just been diagnosed with stage IV Adenocarcinoma (<3cm tumour on left lung) which has spread to the brain (6 mets known at present - MRI in two days). 

We had our first meeting with the oncologist today who has recommended a combination of immunotherapy (Pembrolizumab/Keytruda) and chemo (Pemetrexed & carboplatin) initially for 3 months on a 21 day cycle, followed by targeted radiotherapy once it is established if the tumours are shrinking. 

My question is what is the optimum timing / order of treatments - intuitively you'd think the radiotherapy should run concurrently with the immuno?  Or is it better to let the immunotherapy to run its course before the radiotherapy?

Really appreciate any advice - I'm learning as fast as I can but appreciate any views please!  Equally if you are aware of any emerging treatments that might  be worth considering do please let me know - thank you.

Hi ,

Unfortunately nearly all cancers are individual to the person who has them. As I'm sure you already know, it is not good news that it is stage 4, or that it has spread to your wife's lungs. You may know more after her MRI.

It sounds as if her oncologist is hitting it hard with chemo and immunotherapy. This should help to reduce the size of the tumour and/or the rate of growth. Once this is under control then the targeted radiotherapy kicks in. I am not a doctor , simply another cancer pilgrim. Although I have had  bouts of breast cancer in the past 10 years, i have not had chemo or radiotherapy, but I believe that all treatments are tailored to the individual's needs and there is no 'one fix cures all'. Prior to giving you both the results today, your care team will have held an MDT (multi-disciplinary team) meeting to discuss the optimum treatment for your wife, so the decision is not made on a whim, but on the opinion of several professionals who are involved with her care.

It is so difficult to get to grips with all the terminology and treatments, especially when things are moving so fast. I commend you for trying to keep up with it. Your wife will appreciate any help and support that you can give her in the current months and I sincerely hope that this treatment regime works well for her.

Please be aware that, if at any time, treatment is not working for her, it can always be altered. I had to change mine after a year, when I was struck by a second bout of cancer. I am afraid that I know nothing about clinical trials, but I am pretty sure that there will be some available. Your consultant is the best person to discuss this with as s/he will have all her medical records to hand and has see the results of her scans.

You have a long and hard road ahead of you both, as your wife goes through treatment but you will come out the other side.

Please keep in touch and remember that we are always here for you both.

Just a thought, but you might find it helpful to write down any questions you have before your next appointment. It is all too easy to forget important questions otherwise. You might also find it helpful to talk to one of the nurses on this site about some of your concerns. Their number is 0808 800 4040. This is a freephone number and they are available Mon - Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx