Terri wrote:
> My mother has been diagnosed with Pleomorphic Carcinoma on both lungs.
> Her doctor says the only thing to do is surgery. She had basically
> the same thing in her head and neck. If she has surgery this will be
> #6. Isn't there an alternative?
> Thanks for your time, Terri
Hello Terri, I'm not sure why the doctors aren't replying. Perhaps they are waiting for someone like
me to obtain more information from you.
When I search on Pleomorphic, it seems to be one of the sarcomas
http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic675.htm and chemo seems to have a limited (or no) role in the
treatment regimen. Surgery seems to be the treatment of choice.
Lung surgery is not easy to go through. My friend (a few weeks ago) was describing her father in
law's surgery. She was quite graphic about "cracking the ribs" to get through to do the resection.
He was close to 80 at the time, did not have complicating factors like heart disease etc) and had
not had any previous surgeries (anesthetic risks which your mother could have, having had 6 previous
surgeries), but the surgery was tough on him. It took almost a year to full recovery and even then,
losing part of his lung has left him somewhat breathless and some residual pain.
Is your mother's cancer symptomatic? (ie large enough to be causing breathing problems?) What is her
age please and complicating health factors? Is she functional ...going about with her life and this
was picked up on a routine recheck?
These are the questions I would ask, if it was my mother with the diagnosis. We have to ask if the
surgery is too risky vs the possible benefit and whether the person might die of something else
first before the cancer becomes a problem (symptoms or life-ending).
Look forward to more information from you. Best, J - (not a doctor)
