Just Diagnosed

[topaz19]

My doctor just told me yesterday that i have stage 3 lung cancer.He want's me to start radiation treatments for 6 week's and chemo"taxatere and carboplatinum" .Has anyone else had this treatment who can tell me what to expect.I have read that taxatere has many bad side effect's.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have lots of side effects.  Some of these are unavoidable but can be minimized with the proper supportive care.  Both chemotherapy and radiotherapy usually cause a transient decrease in blood cells counts (typically involving red and white blood cells, although platelets can also decrease).  With chemotherapy, the greatest decrease in counts happen around 8-10 days after drug administration, and it takes two weeks or more for the blood counts to recover.  Low red cell counts (anemia) can cause you to get tired more easily, and to have some difficulty falling asleep.  Low white cell counts can make you more susceptible to infections.  Chemotherapy usually induces nausea and vomiting, although taxotere and carboplatin do this to a lesser degree compared with other drugs.  Both drugs, as well as radiotherapy, can also cause you to lose your appetite.

Taxotere causes hair loss and numbness of the tips of your hands and feet.  A few patients also get heart problems due to this drug. Carboplatin, on the other hand, may affect kidney function.

I'm not telling you about all these side effects to discourage you from going through the treatment.  As I've said earlier, most of these adverse effects are temporary and can be avoided or minimized with proper supportive care.  The following are some general steps which you can do:

1.  Eat well.  It's almost certain for you to experience loss of appetite at some point during your chemotherapy.  You have to will yourself to eat specially during these times. Your body becomes more susceptible to adverse effects of treatment when it does not get adequate nutrition.

2.  Drink lots of water. This is to protect your kidneys from the toxic effects of the chemotherapy.

3.  Protect yourself from infection. Wear a face mask, avoid crowded places, sleep in a well ventilated area, and avoid people who have cough/ colds or a fever.

4.  Stay mentally positive.  Surround yourself with people who will encourage you and support you throughout your ordeal. And don't dwell on your disease.  Life goes on, even when you have cancer, so don't act as though everything is at a standstill. Keep moving.

[drwnny]

Hi my name is April, I just went thru this with my father, what kind of lung cancer do you have?