A Long Pause in Chemotherapy

Wednesday, we had our regular meeting with the radiation doctor and the oncologist. Janette is in the home stretch with her radiation therapy. The originally planned series is finished and they've moved to a new angle and narrow focus on the lymph nodes in her chest.

All this radiation seems to help with many of Janette's symptoms. It's also created more side effects. Her esophagus is irritated and probably inflamed. Eating and drinking irritate further the irritated tissue. Eating more than four bites is a huge chore rather than a relatively unconscious act. She's not eating much and her weight has dropped to 129 lbs.

"Just 5 more days," the nurse and doctor say, "and when it's all over you will recover quickly."

Since she can't eat easily and she's so tired from the radiation, the oncologist has decided to wait 2 more weeks before restarting chemotherapy. We see him again June 16 and then he will decide if she's ready for more.

Janette has adenocarcinoma. Here's what I found on Wikipedia.


Currently, the most common type of lung cancer in lifelong non-smokers is the adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinomas account for approximately 10% of lung cancers. This cancer usually is seen peripherally in the lungs, as opposed to small cell lung cancer and squamous cell lung cancer, which both tend to be more centrally located. The adenocarcinoma has an increased incidence in smokers, but is also the most common type of lung cancer seen in non-smokers.


Here's an excerpt from an article from abc News.


Ill Despite Healthy Lifestyle
While no national studies have yet been done, many lung cancer specialists say they're seeing a disturbing trend of more and more non-smoking women with the disease.

"Many of them have done an excellent job of taking care of themselves," said Dr. Joan Schiller, who specializes in lung cancer in non-smoking younger women at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. "They run. They eat right."

Ten percent to 15 percent of lung cancer victims are non-smokers. Among that group, women are two to three times more likely than men to get the disease. Doctors don't know why. Hormones, second-hand smoke, diet and air pollution all are believed to be factors.

Though lung cancer is deadlier to women than other types of cancer, breast cancer gets almost 10 times more research funding per death than lung cancer, Schiller said.

"These women are tragic victims of the fact that they have a disease that is associated with smoking," Schiller added.

Adding to the deadliness of lung cancer, the symptoms, which include shortness of breath and a chronic cough, often are misdiagnosed as asthma.



Here's another excerpt.


How Can Non-Smokers Develop Lung Cancer?

Researchers believe that second hand smoke plays a prominent role in lung cancer development in non-smokers. Limiting first hand and second hand exposure is essential for both men and women to reducing the risk factor for lung cancer.

Lung cancer can develop because of radon inbedded in dirt below residential homes. Tests are available to check the radon level in and around your home. Many of these tests are available free of charge from you local health department.

Estrogen may also be a factor in lung cancer development, just like in breast cancer development in women. Studies suggest that blocking estrogen may prevent lung cancer from growing.


All three of these points have been long term factors in Janette's life: ~42 years of second hand smoke, lots of radon in Florida and 20 years of estrogen replacement therapy. Quite the set up for developing lung cancer.