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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For Stage 4 Lung Cancer

Hi, My father in law was diagnosed over the holidays with non small cell stage 4 lung cancer. He has three large liver tumors and 3 brain mets. He's just finished two weeks of radiation to shrink brain mets, starts chemo next week. He is extremely thin. .but has an appetite and gets around slowly. This morning he has swollen feet and ankles. I'm not sure if I should be calling his oncologist, I've read this could mean his liver is failing.
Fri, 18 Sep 2015
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Pulmonologist,  's  Response
Hi, I had gone through your question. I understand your concerns. Unfortunately stage 4 lung cancer is an advanced stage of the disease where cancer cells are seen in distant parts of body other than lungs. In your father-in-laws case they are seen in brain and liver. The aim of treatment of stage 4 lung cancer is palliation, as cure is not possible at this stage. Palliative treatment aims at general well being of the patient, relieving symptoms and reducing tumor bulk. depending on the health status of the patient, this could be radiation, chemotherapy or small surgeries. As I understand your father-in-law is already receiving radiotherapy and is planning for chemotherapy.

Swelling of feet could be due to various reasons, most probably to nutritional deficiency. It is advisable to check for liver function, kidney function and serum albumin. Also a physical examination by a physician is advisable to rule out any heart failure or deep venous thrombosis of leg veins which can happen in patients with cancer.

Hope I have answered your queries. Thanking you for using Healthcare Magic.
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Oncologist,  Dr. Deepak Sundriyal's  Response
Hello. Your father is having advanced stage disease. Chemotherapy is an option for him but only when he is fit enough. That means if he is mobile and taking care of his daily chores then only he will be able to tolerate it. Other option is to do some molecular test to detect whether he is eligible for oral form of targeted therapy. You can discuss about these test with your physician. Hope this helps you
regards
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Suggest Treatment For Stage 4 Lung Cancer

Hi, I had gone through your question. I understand your concerns. Unfortunately stage 4 lung cancer is an advanced stage of the disease where cancer cells are seen in distant parts of body other than lungs. In your father-in-laws case they are seen in brain and liver. The aim of treatment of stage 4 lung cancer is palliation, as cure is not possible at this stage. Palliative treatment aims at general well being of the patient, relieving symptoms and reducing tumor bulk. depending on the health status of the patient, this could be radiation, chemotherapy or small surgeries. As I understand your father-in-law is already receiving radiotherapy and is planning for chemotherapy. Swelling of feet could be due to various reasons, most probably to nutritional deficiency. It is advisable to check for liver function, kidney function and serum albumin. Also a physical examination by a physician is advisable to rule out any heart failure or deep venous thrombosis of leg veins which can happen in patients with cancer. Hope I have answered your queries. Thanking you for using Healthcare Magic.