lung cancer spread to brain and neck

My mother inlaw has lung cancer.  It was diagnosed a little over a year ago.  It was inoperable.  Within the past two months it spread to the brain.  This was treated with an intense dosage of radiation/chemo, which removed almost all of it, leaving only a tiny bit.  Now her neck has swolen and doctors are pretty sure it is in her neck.  If so what is next?  I have read that radiation can not be used for the neck?  Is this true? Is there other options?

[Kamal S Saini, MD, MRCP (UK), DM]

Hi Johnny,
I am sorry to hear of your mother-in-law's progressive lung cancer, which has now spread to the brain and neck.
Radiation can be used on neck lymph nodes. Usually an area that has been irradiated earlier cannot be re-irradiated.
The remaining options are, unfortunately, only palliative in nature. Your doctor could discuss with you the possibility of third-line chemotherapy, or enrolement into a clinical trial.