Lung cancer stage 2 inoperable

My close friend is on pembrolizumab for the last 18 months and has had 25 treatments. She is 63 Yrs old. All went well until she got the following symptoms. The skin on her feet and fingers are dying and layers of skin are coming off leaving her feet raw and extremely painful.  Some of her nails are gone black and very distorted. She was given steroid ointment , Dipro Salic,betamethasone, dermovate cream, paraffin gel.  She was take taken off the treatment for the second time and given the above treatment by 3 different dermatologists who by the way have never seen these symptoms before .  She went back onto the treatment but after a few weeks , the symptoms have come back with a vengeance. She can hardly walk with the pain and has to take painkiller continually. She is back off the treatment which is so disappointing for her.  Is there any global forum where there might be more people with her symptoms that she could speak with?

 

 

 

 

  • Hello Maher and a warm welcome to Cancer Chat, 

    I am so sorry to hear about your friend and the symptoms she has been having to deal with - what happened to her feet sounds excruciatingly painful. I hope the painkillers are helping a little. 

    We have information about overseas cancer organizations on this page some of which have dedicated forums and resources which may be of interest to your friend.

    You can also find a list of resources and organizations specifically for people affected by lung cancer on this page . In particular, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is worth a mention as they have an online discussion forum. You can find out more about this here.

    I hope your friend manages to connect soon with others who find themselves in a similar situation and are experiencing the same symptoms. She is also very welcome to come and post on Cancer Chat at any time. Our nurses are also available if she needs to talk to someone on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. 

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Thank you Lucie for your  reply. 

    Unfortunetly Have had no responses from anyone to date.  I would assume her symptoms are very unusual  

    all the best 

    Maher