What You Should Know | Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment and Testing

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What therapies are available for small cell lung cancer? Dr. Tejas Patil, a lung cancer specialist and researcher, discusses the common treatment options, important testing to have before choosing therapy, and addresses the critical role that clinical trials may play in small cell lung cancer care. 

Dr. Tejas Patil is an Assistant Professor of Thoracic Oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center focused on targeted therapies and novel biomarkers in lung cancer. Learn more about Dr. Patil.

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Transcript:

 

Diagnosed With Small Cell Lung Cancer? Key Advice to Elevate Your Care

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When facing a small cell lung cancer diagnosis, how can you access the best care for you? Dr. Tejas Patil, a lung cancer specialist and researcher, shares key questions to ask you healthcare team following a diagnosis and emphasizes the importance of trust in the patient-doctor relationship.

Dr. Tejas Patil is an Assistant Professor of Thoracic Oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center focused on targeted therapies and novel biomarkers in lung cancer. Learn more about Dr. Patil.

Download Resource Guide

See More from ELEVATE Small Cell Lung Cancer

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Transcript:

 

Expert Advice for Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer

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Expert Advice for Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Dr. Triparna Sen, a leading small cell lung cancer (SCLC) researcher and expert, shares key advice for patients. Dr. Sen stresses the importance of working closely with your doctor, asking about clinical trials options, and the benefits of support groups.

Dr. Triparna Sen is an associate professor in the department of oncological sciences and co-director of the Lung Cancer PDX Platform at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Learn more about Dr. Sen.

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Understanding Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment Options

Transcript:

Katherine:

What three key pieces of advice would you have for a patient who has just been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer?  

Dr. Sen:

First of all, I would like to say definitely, definitely work with your physician. They are trying to do their best for you. Work with your physician. Follow the treatment regimen that they give. Ask about clinical trials that you are eligible for and that you can enroll into. Then, of course, having a support group. So, there are many patient advocacy groups right now for non-small cell and small cell lung cancer.  

I think being a part of such a patient advocacy group where you have people going through the same journey, I think, it really helps. It helps you sort of manage your disease better. It helps you stay hopeful when you hear about other people’s sort of prognosis and if they have durable benefits from drugs. So, I think having a support group is very important. If there is an ability for you to contribute to research in terms of giving blood or tissues, if your physician is saying that you could be eligible for that, I think a contribution to research is really key. 

Because looking at the disease mechanisms in the clinical tissue is sort of where for us it is absolutely golden. We go there. We look at the disease mechanisms and tissues. If there is an opportunity for you, then I think it should definitely be explored.  

Finally, I would like to say we are really trying as researchers to really understand the disease better. We’re trying to do that better. I hope and I pray that we go faster with it. But I think there is hope right now for patients with small cell lung cancer. The research is really progressing better. There are many clinical trials.  

So, I think stay hopeful and have a peer support group who can take you through this quite difficult journey.  

Katherine:

Why should patients consider consulting with a lung cancer specialist?  

Dr. Sen:

I think it’s crucial because these lung cancer specialists really know the current state of the art treatments. They are thought leaders. They participate in trials. They actually sit on advisory boards with companies.  

They are strategizing the entire treatment landscape for this disease. So, if you go to a lung cancer specialist, you’re more likely to get the most updated knowledge about what treatments are out there, what you qualify for, what are the clinical trials out there, and what are working in patients. This is not just for small cell. There are many, many trials that are happening in non-small cell also. So, whatever your diagnosis is, a specialist should be able to tell you what your options are. You really want to know about your options. Your options about biomarker testing.   

Your options about screening. Your options about trials. I think a lung cancer specialist can really guide you towards that.   

Katherine:

Dr. Sen, thank you so much for joining us today. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you.  

Dr. Sen:

Thank you.  

Essential Small Cell Lung Cancer Testing

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Essential Small Cell Lung Cancer Testing from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What tests are essential for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC)? Dr. Triparna Sen defines small cell lung cancer and reviews the testing that should take place following a diagnosis.

Dr. Triparna Sen is an associate professor in the department of oncological sciences and co-director of the Lung Cancer PDX Platform at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Learn more about Dr. Sen.

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Advances in Small Cell Lung Cancer Research | Hope for the Future

Transcript:

Dr. Sen:

I’m Dr. Triparna Sen. I’m an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine. I’m also the co-director of the Lung Cancer PDX program here at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. I am the lead of a very translational research laboratory. Our goal is to find novel and effective therapeutic strategies for patients with lung cancer.  

Katherine:

Thank you for that. We’re so glad to have you with us today. Would you define small cell lung cancer for our audience?  

Dr. Sen:

Of course. So, one of the main research areas in my lab is to try to understand the biology of this very aggressive form of lung cancer. Having said that, as you all may be aware that lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related mortality.  

Lung cancer can be of two types, non-small cell and small cell. So, small cell is a very high-grade neuroendocrine tumor. And it is a very aggressive tumor.   

The name is derived because the size of the cells that you see under the microscope is very small. So, it was originally called old cell carcinoma, and now it is called small cell lung cancer. What you need to remember about this disease is that it is about 15 percent of lung cancer diagnosis. It is very highly metastatic. It is often associated with a long history of smoking.   

Katherine:

Okay. What testing should take place following a diagnosis of small cell lung cancer?  

Dr. Sen:

The symptoms can include various things like coughing, labored breathing, or even bleeding during coughing. What happens then is the initial diagnosis actually happens through some sort of contrast enhanced CT or PET CT. Also, a confirmatory test that happens through immunohistochemistry with H&E. That is  how we look at the histopathological features of the cancer. So once it is confirmed to be small cell lung cancer, then additional tests may happen through tumor biopsy where the doctor then confirms the stage of the tumor and how much the disease has spread.  

 So, there may be biopsies taken from the lung and from other regions of the body to determine how much the disease has spread.  

Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Optimizing Team Communication

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Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Optimizing Team Communication from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can small cell lung cancer team communication be optimized? Expert Beth Sandy from Abramson Cancer Center shares advice for communication between care team members and for setting expectations about symptom management and treatment plans.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…don’t feel afraid or scared to ask the questions that you want the answers to. And if you do, it’s okay to change providers, to be honest with you, because you should have that level of trust and ability to be open with your provider.”

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

So, Beth, how do you facilitate open and transparent communication between oncology nurses, patients, and their families and care partners to address concerns and set realistic expectations to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding the symptom management and treatment plans?

Beth Sandy:

Yeah. So again, this is something that happens over time and I think it’s really important for patients to feel comfortable with their providers. If you don’t feel that you can ask your doctor or your nurse practitioner or your nurse, whoever you’re seeing, if you don’t feel comfortable that you can ask questions about your treatment and your disease, that’s a problem. You should have a good relationship with them. I feel like us in oncology as opposed to other fields like dermatology or whatever, I think we have a more personal relationship with them because this is a disease that often they’re dealing with for a long time and we want to make sure that we’re doing what’s best for them, what’s best for the patient.

So sometimes for me, again, I’ll say, how are you tolerating the treatment? Are you in bed a lot at home? Or are you feeling pretty good on the treatment? And then a lot of that too will partially be, well, the treatment is working very well. Are you willing to stay on it based on the side effects you’re having? But for me, it’s so much easier if the patient starts the conversation and says something along the lines of like, “I’m not tolerating this well, I’m not feeling well. Is there something more we can do? Or can we give less chemo?” Patients ask me that all the time.

And then we have a discussion about the pros and cons of that. So everything’s a discussion. Oncology is not black and white. There is gray area that we can work with you to improve your quality and be open about how much you want to know. Do you want to know exact numbers of your chances of survival? Do you want to know exact numbers of exactly how often this exact chemo works for other patients? We can give you those, but we don’t have to. So we really want to, for the most part, always instill hope, because I’ve seen lots and lots of miracles and great stories with patients who have done way better than I ever thought they would. So I would hate to say to someone, oh, this is the average when lots of my patients will do better than that. 

So I think my activation tip here is don’t feel afraid or scared to ask the questions that you want the answers to. And if you do, it’s okay to change providers, to be honest with you, because you should have that level of trust and ability to be open with your provider.

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How Can Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Ask About Care Goals?

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How Can Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Ask About Care Goals? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Small cell lung cancer patients can make care goals, but how can they ask about them? Expert Beth Sandy from Abramson Cancer Center shares her perspective about care goals, proactive questions, and advice for doctor-patient communication.

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

As a person living with cancer myself, one of the things I know that is often focused on by my healthcare team is the standard of care, and then it’s more of a reactive approach to dealing with symptoms. Talking about goals of care seems more proactive. So for a patient going in and wanting to talk about goals of care, maybe it’s not brought up by their care team, would it be appropriate for that patient to say, “Hey, I’d like to talk about some goals for my care too?” And not just have it be a reactive approach, but more of a proactive approach. Would that be a weird thing to ask the care team or is that appropriate for a patient to ask that question? Can we have a conversation about the goals for my care?

Beth Sandy:

No, I would love if a patient said that to me, because these are conversations that we want to have with patients. We want to have an open communication so that everybody’s on the same page of understanding of what’s going on with their cancer, but patients are often reluctant, and I get it. To be honest, a lot of doctors are reluctant. Sometimes they feel awkward in the conversation. So it goes both ways, but if the patient is open and wants to have that line of communication, I think that’s great. When I say goals of care, I mean what are your goals out of the treatment I’m giving you?

And it’s something because you bring up a good point. In small cell lung cancer, goals of care are very important, because there are a lot of things we can do to you. Some patients do not want their whole brain radiated. There’s a risk there of loss of cognitive function, and especially in the extensive stage setting, we can offer it. There is actually a slight advantage in survival to doing preventative for whole brain radiation.

However, the trade-off is that you can have neurologic decline and physical decline from that. So it’s like do I want to take the risk of having that side effect to prevent the brain metastases? So these are goals of care discussions like, is this right for me? Is this something I want to do and risk feeling this way? And some of that may depend on your performance status which is something that we used to say like, do I have a lot of other conditions? I have bad COPD, and I’m in a wheelchair already, and if I get this whole brain radiation, will I never walk again? Something like that. Those are all things that are important to discuss with your treatment team.

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Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer | Empowering Symptom Management

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Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer | Empowering Symptom Management from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can extensive stage small cell lung cancer patients be empowered for symptom management? Expert Beth Sandy from Abramson Cancer Center discusses how she empowers patients and care partners, common treatment side effects, and advice for patients preparing for treatment.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…make sure before you leave the office or on the day you’re coming for chemotherapy that you have all your questions answered, that you feel pretty confident in what side effects you may experience. I am a proponent of writing down your questions.”

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Beth, extensive stage small cell lung cancer and its associated treatments often come with challenging symptoms. How do you prioritize the patient education to empower both your patients and their care partners in recognizing and managing these symptoms at home?

Beth Sandy:

Yeah. So the treatments that we have are predominantly chemotherapy. We also can use immunotherapy, and these have a whole host of different side effects. Some patients may be dealing with just symptoms of the disease like shortness of breath or cough, but then when you add in the chemotherapy, it’s going to add a whole host of other side effects. I think there are a few important things to note here. Number one, know the names of the drugs that you’re getting, and at my institution, we will print them out for you with an  education sheet. So we like to give printed materials, because it’s hard to remember everything we say and not everybody’s going to sit there and take notes and write it down, so we give printed materials. I think that’s important. And then understanding the schedule.

So typically the first-line treatment that we use for this is three days in a row. It’s given once every three weeks. So you’re not just coming in one day. You actually have to come in three days in a row, and most cancer centers aren’t open on the weekend, so you would often have to be preparing to start this regimen either on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.

So just think about that. We rarely start these regimens on a Thursday or Friday, because we want that consecutive three days in a row. There are scheduling issues that come into play here. And then the side effects, so we can predict really well what the side effects actually are going to be. I often can’t predict a lot of things with cancer, but side effects of chemotherapy are fairly predictable, and truthfully, most patients are going to lose their hair with this treatment. It grows back. So don’t worry. It grows back, but in the beginning, hair loss is something that may happen, so we need to tell patients that. No one wants to be at home, and all of a sudden all your hair falls out and you didn’t know that.

And then there’s chemotherapy side effects, things like lowering of blood counts, nausea. What I do want to say as I’ve been doing this for 20 years, our supportive care medications for preventing and treating nausea are so much better now. So it’s nothing like it was 20 years ago, and 30 years ago. When I started as a nurse, we didn’t have good medications then. We’ve really good medications now. So nausea tends to not be as big of an issue as what you may have experienced with a family member in the past, so that usually we can prevent pretty well.

But talking about the lowering of blood count is a big issue that it can put you at risk for infection, you may need blood transfusions. These are things that you have to talk about. So just make sure you have a pretty good understanding of that. The other thing we can predict is fatigue. So most patients are going to get fatigue, and usually it will be in the first week of treatment, but it won’t last the entire three weeks between the treatments.

So my activation tip here for this would be to make sure before you leave the office or on the day you’re coming for chemotherapy that you have all your questions answered, that you feel pretty confident in what side effects you may experience. I am a proponent of writing down your questions and bringing them in and I like when patients do that because then I can answer them, because otherwise I feel sometimes like did I answer everything? Do I forget anything that’s important to you? What may be important to you may not be as important to another patient? So write down your questions and make sure you have all of them answered before you leave especially when it comes to chemotherapy side effects.

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Key Questions to Ask About Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

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Key Questions to Ask About Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What should small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients ask to help prepare themselves? Dr. Rafael Santana-Davila with the University of Washington School of Medicine shares how he explains small cell lung cancer, particularly extensive stage SCLC to patients and key questions to ask about treatment and care.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…you need to talk to your doctors and say, ‘Okay, what am I looking at? What are the goals of treatment? How am I going to feel in the next month? How am I going to feel in the next three months? And where am I going to be in the next six months? And what is my prognosis? And what do you expect to happen?’”

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Dr. Santana-Davila, how do you explain extensive stage small cell lung cancer to your newly diagnosed patients? And what are key questions that patients and families should ask at the outset of their care?

Rafael Santana-Davila:

Oh, great. Thank you. Thank you for that. That is a great question. So patients who have metastatic small cell lung cancer, which is the majority of those with extensive stage, it’s a disease that is not curable, that we treat with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, that the majority of patients have a great response to treatment.

But our goal of treatment is to make patients feel better and have patients hopefully live longer. One of the key questions that families should ask at the outset of care, and this is for extensive stage cancer as well as any other cancer, is “What are the goals of treatment? What do I expect it to be? How is my life going to look a few months from now? And what can I expect?” That is, for me, very important that patients know before they start on the journey of treatment.

How do I explain what extensive stage is? What does it mean…how I explain this to patients is this is a cancer that has arose in your lung and has moved to other places. So we cannot cure it. We can treat it. We can hopefully shrink it and help you to live longer and live better. The majority of patients that present with this disease present with a lot of symptoms. They present with symptoms from the cancer. And many times it’s an emergency to try to treat them as soon as possible.

So this is a conversation that we have with them that we tell them, “It’s very likely that you will feel better, that you’ll respond to treatment.” But again, an activation tip is you need to talk to your doctors and say, “Okay, what am I looking at? What are the goals of treatment? How am I going to feel in the next month? How am I going to feel in the next three months? And where am I going to be in the next six months? And what is my prognosis? And what do you expect to happen?” 

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What Is the Difference Between Limited Stage and Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer?

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What is the Difference Between Limited Stage and Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Limited stage and extensive stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are two different types, but how do they differ? Dr. Rafael Santana-Davila with the University of Washington School of Medicine explains limited stage SCLC versus extensive stage SCLC, treatment methods for each type, and the importance of communication.

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Can you explain the difference between limited stage and extensive stage small cell lung cancer, please?

Rafael Santana-Davila: 

So this is actually a historical definition. Back in, I don’t know the date exactly, but somewhere in the 1980s, how we treated this was when patients…the radiation doctor could treat all the area of disease with radiation, then we call that limited. And limited stage disease means that the person, the patient can get radiation and chemotherapy with the goal of eradicating the disease. Extensive stage is when the disease cannot be treated with a single area of radiation.

In the majority of cases, there’s a very clear distinction, for example, patient has metastatic disease to the liver, that clearly is extensive, stage, but there are occasions where, limited and extensive is very hard to know and the radiation doctor would…two different radiation doctors will give you two different things.

And the important thing in this case is that this is a…all of medicine is a team sport, but treatment of cancer is more because the medical oncologists need to talk to the radiation oncologists to make sure that we’re on the same page as to what is the best treatment we can offer a patient. 

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Battling Small Cell Lung Cancer | One Man’s Journey

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Battling Small Cell Lung Cancer | One Man’s Journey from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Terrence’s diagnosis with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) came as a shock. He learned the value of a positive attitude and how “just as in battle, I understood early on that a solid partnership with my healthcare team would be crucial to my outcome.” He shares his perspective, lessons learned, and how to stay [ACT]IVATED in your care.

Disclaimer: Thank you to small cell lung cancer expert Dr. Rafael Santana-Davila, PEN’s Empowerment Leads, patients, and care partners for reviewing and collaborating on this video. This video has been edited to protect the privacy of certain individuals, and the names and identifying details have been changed.

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Transcript:

My name is Terrence, and I’m living with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). This diagnosis came as a shock, but I decided to persevere and fight. Cancer care can feel like a marathon, and certainly not a sprint – particularly for patients like me. As a small cell lung cancer survivor, I want to share my perspective and lessons learned from my cancer journey about staying ACTIVATED in your care.

My symptoms started with a cough that wouldn’t go away. As a military veteran, I assumed the cough was something I picked up years earlier. And even though I had been a smoker, my doctor didn’t order any scans as a pre-emptive screening measure, nor did I know what questions to ask. It wasn’t until I found a lump under my arm that further testing was done. It was at that time that I also put the other pieces of the puzzle together, which included symptoms of higher than normal blood pressure and knee pain.

I received chemotherapy and radiation, and also quickly learned that despite the challenges of treating my cancer, maintaining a positive attitude was the most critical part of my regimen. I was fortunate to have a medical team that listened to me and didn’t dismiss my concerns. Just as in battle, I understood early on that a solid partnership with my healthcare team would be crucial to my outcome.

Under the care of my healthcare team, I continue to receive scans of my lungs and brain every three months and feel grateful to be doing well. My care team and I also actively look for clinical trials that may be right for me. I urge other small cell lung cancer patients to ask your care team questions to learn about treatment options and what to expect during and after treatment – you matter. 

For the past decade, there have been a lot of research advancements about non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, but our small cell lung community is feeling left out of conversations about investments to improve lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. The SCLC patient community also deserves improvements in care and treatment. Fortunately, things are changing. Progress in personalized medicine has allowed scientists to develop targeted therapies tailored to a patient’s body using their genes to prevent, diagnose, or treat an underlying disease. Clinical trials are one opportunity to be on the ground floor of these developments where you may be able to get tomorrow’s medicine today. I hope sharing my perspective will make a difference for others. 

While the battle ahead has uncertainties, stay [ACT]IVATED with these tips:

  • Don’t allow stigmas to keep you from getting the best care, now is the time to get the right care no matter how you got the cancer.
  • Ask your care team questions to learn about small cell lung cancer treatment options and what to expect during and after treatment.
  • Ask if a clinical trial may be a potential treatment option for you.
  • Stay abreast of small cell lung cancer treatment options and research advancements.

Whether it’s combat in war or fighting cancer, no matter who you are, take it from me, attitude is everything. Stay [ACT]IVATED by being informed, empowered, and engaged in your small cell lung cancer care.

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Lessons From a Small Cell Lung Cancer Care Partner

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Lessons From a Small Cell Lung Cancer Care Partner from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

As a small cell lung cancer (SCLC) care partner, Anita learned things during her husband Terrence’s cancer journey that she’d like to share to help others. “Communication with the healthcare team and learning about your loved one’s cancer are key to supporting their cancer journey.” She shares lessons learned and specific advice for how to support your loved one in their cancer care.

Disclaimer: Thank you to small cell lung cancer expert Dr. Rafael Santana-Davila, PEN’s Empowerment Leads, patients, and care partners for reviewing and collaborating on this video. This video has been edited to protect the privacy of certain individuals, and the names and identifying details have been changed.

See More from [ACT]IVATED Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

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Battling Small Cell Lung Cancer | One Man’s Journey

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 Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Communication As a Key

Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Communication As a Key

Transcript:

Staying ACTIVATED in your loved one’s cancer care is essential to becoming informed, empowered, and engaged in their care, take it from me. My name is Anita. As a care partner to my husband Terrence who has extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), I want to share my perspective and lessons learned from his cancer journey. 

It was difficult seeing my husband Terrence struggle with a cough that wouldn’t go away. We also now know that he should have received lung cancer screening due to his past history of smoking. As a care partner, I blamed myself for not speaking up at his earlier appointments. How could I have advocated differently?

Though it was challenging learning that the extent of his cancer may have been prevented with recommended screening, I want to share my lessons learned to help other patients and care partners who may be struggling with the impacts of cancer.

Ongoing communication with the healthcare team and learning about your loved one’s cancer are key to supporting their cancer journey. To help your loved one, you can join them at their doctors’ appointments to serve as a second set of ears, to take notes, to ask questions, and to assist in the shared decision-making process. Staying [ACT]IVATED as a care partner continues to be key in helping Terrence connect to the right care at the right time.

My [ACT]IVATION tips for other care partners are to:

  •   Ask the stage of the cancer and what the lab test results mean.
  •   Inquire about treatment options and what the doctor recommends for treatment.
  •   Find out if there’s a clinical trial that is a treatment option.
  •   Pose questions about the goal or goals of treatment.
  •   Learn what to expect from treatment impact on daily life and ask about support services.
  •   Inquire about who you can contact about side effects or other issues.
  •   Avoid care partner burnout, ask someone for help to ensure you get some self-care and time to recharge.

If you’re a care partner helping a loved one in the fight against small cell lung cancer, knowledge is everything. Stay [ACT]IVATED by being informed, empowered, and engaged in their care.

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Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Communication As a Key

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Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Communication As a Key from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Dr. Lin is a medical oncologist who helps small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients as a member of the healthcare team. Dr. Lin explains the urgency of care decisions with extensive stage SCLC and advice to patients and loved ones. “This is where communication between the patient and healthcare team is key to an optimal cancer journey.” She discusses common members of the SCLC healthcare team and advice for staying [ACT]IVATED for the best care.

Disclaimer: Thank you to small cell lung cancer expert Dr. Rafael Santana-Davila, PEN’s Empowerment Leads, patients, and care partners for reviewing and collaborating on this video. This video has been edited to protect the privacy of certain individuals, and the names and identifying details have been changed.

See More from [ACT]IVATED Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

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Battling Small Cell Lung Cancer | One Man’s Journey

 Moving Past Small Cell Lung Cancer Stigma | A Patient Navigator Explains

 Lessons From a Small Cell Lung Cancer Care Partner

Transcript:

Staying ACTIVATED in cancer care is essential to becoming informed, empowered, and engaged in patient care, but what does that really look like? As a medical oncologist caring for patients facing a small cell lung cancer (SCLC) diagnosis, how can I best coordinate with my patients and families in the shared decision-making process?

Extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) is an aggressive cancer, so swift decisions may be necessary. This is where communication between the patient and healthcare team is vital to an optimal cancer journey. Your healthcare team may include a medical oncologist like myself, pulmonologist, radiation oncologist, thoracic surgeon, nurse practitioners, a patient navigator, and many more key players on your journey. 

Given the aggressive nature of this cancer, educating yourself as the patient and patient’s loved ones helps empower involvement in the shared decision-making process for small cell lung cancer treatment and care. Asking lots of questions about benefits and risks of treatment, testing, what to expect for treatment, and support services is an important part of the patient empowerment path. 

Stay [ACT]IVATED with these tips:

  • Ask about the stage of your cancer, treatment options, treatment goals, possible side effects, support services, and what to expect during and after treatment.
  • Inquire about how often you’ll see your pulmonologist as part of your care, whether there are any clinical trial options, or who to contact if you experience any type of lung discomfort or breathing issues.
  • Find out what to expect for your treatment, the frequency, duration, side effects, and whether you might need help going to and from the treatment location.

If you’re helping a loved one in their fight against small cell lung cancer, shared decision-making is critical. Stay [ACT]IVATED by being informed, empowered, and engaged in their care. It can make all the difference.

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Moving Past Small Cell Lung Cancer Stigma | A Patient Navigator Explains

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Moving Past Small Cell Lung Cancer Stigma | A Patient Navigator Explains from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Diana is a patient navigator who assists small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients from the stages of screening through follow-up care. Diana explains SCLC risk factors, patients commonly diagnosed with extensive stage SCLC, and barriers to care. She shares the origin of some stigma about lung cancer. “Past TV ads to stop smoking built a stigma around cigarette smoking that has created an environment of blame around lung cancer.” She discusses how patients can stay [ACT]IVATED in their care and in improving future treatments.

Disclaimer: Thank you to small cell lung cancer expert Dr. Rafael Santana-Davila, PEN’s Empowerment Leads, patients, and care partners for reviewing and collaborating on this video. This video has been edited to protect the privacy of certain individuals, and the names and identifying details have been changed.

See More from [ACT]IVATED Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

Related Resources:

Battling Small Cell Lung Cancer | One Man’s Journey

 Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Communication As a Key

Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Communication As a Key

 Lessons From a Small Cell Lung Cancer Care Partner

Transcript:

My name is Diana, I’m a patient navigator. I help patients navigate screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care for small cell lung cancer. 

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) makes up about 15 percent of lung cancer in the U.S. Many of these patients are diagnosed with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Though being a current or former smoker increases the risk of SCLC, patients who were exposed to secondhand smoke, workplace carcinogens, environmental pollution, or other factors are also at-risk for SCLC.

Even though smoking is a major risk factor for SCLC, nobody deserves to get cancer. Nicotine is an addictive substance that is extremely difficult for many smokers to quit – especially for those who started at a very young age. Past TV ads to stop smoking built a stigma around cigarette smoking that has created an environment of blame around lung cancer. The stigma is many times greater for extensive stage small cell lung cancer patients. 

Patients diagnosed with SCLC can come from a variety of ethnic, racial, and social classes. However, patients from underrepresented communities of Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), low socioeconomic, and LGBTQ+ groups often take on the brunt of inequitable care in the form of limited access to quality care, lack of healthcare insurance, and other barriers to care. 

Remember that you are the patient, and you have a choice in your treatment options depending on your goals for treatment and quality of life – no matter how you got the cancer. So stay encouraged as investments in SCLC research continue to fuel hope.

My [ACT]IVATION tips are:

  •   Make sure you have a full picture of available treatment options.
  •   Help educate others to raise awareness of SCLC; advocate for improved care.
  •   Inquire about small cell lung cancer clinical trials to help researchers discover new and refined treatments.

With these [ACT]IVATION tips in mind, remember, as a patient staying ACTIVATED in your cancer care is essential to becoming informed, empowered, and engaged in your care.

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