Tag Archive for: small cell lung cancer symptoms

How Can Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer Symptoms Be Managed?

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How Can Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer Symptoms Be Managed? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

When extensive stage small cell lung cancer patients experience symptoms, how can they be managed? Expert Beth Sandy from Abramson Cancer Center discusses collaborative symptom management for ES-SCLC patients for common symptoms including respiratory issues, appetite and digestion, and neurologic symptoms.

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

Related Resources:

Coping With Small Cell Lung Cancer Rapid Treatment

 Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer _ Empowering Symptom Management

 Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Optimizing Team Communication

Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Optimizing Team Communication

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Beth, how do you approach collaborative symptom management for newly diagnosed patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer?

Beth Sandy:

So when you’re newly diagnosed, it really depends. A lot of our patients will end up having symptoms such as shortness of breath or a cough or even coughing up of blood just because the natural biology of small cell lung cancer tends to be a very centralized cancer, the airways. So symptoms typically are respiratory, and we have a lot of really good treatments to help with things like shortness of breath and cough. To be honest with you, this type of lung cancer is so responsive to chemotherapy that sometimes the chemotherapy alone will help your symptoms because it responds so quickly.

If that’s not the case, we can do radiation also to help minimize the cancer where it may be causing shortness of breath, or certainly if you’re coughing up blood, a lot of times we’re going to go in and do something like radiation. There are other things that we can prescribe such as inhalers or medications that are prescriptions that can help with cough like certain syrups and other pills that can help reduce cough. Those typically are often the main respiratory symptoms. Other things that we may find are things like weight loss and decreased appetite. That can be harder, I will say.

There used to be medications that we used for appetite stimulation. The problem with some of those medications is they were increasing the risk of blood clot, which is already a risk when you have lung cancer, so we don’t have to use them as often. But there are some medications that we can work with, and we work with oncology nutrition a lot as well to help patients, especially when weight loss is an issue. There’s a whole other set of side effects the patient’s going to have once they start treatment, but they usually don’t typically present with things like nausea or vomiting, or constipation or diarrhea. Those things can be side effects of treatment.

Another thing that can be common in extensive stage small cell lung cancer is metastasis to the brain. So sometimes patients will have headaches or neurologic changes, but the good thing is that’s very responsive to steroids and radiation, so the sooner we get people on treatment, really those symptoms tend to improve very quickly. The activation tip for this really would be to make sure you let the nurses and doctors know exactly what sometimes you’re experiencing, because we really do have a lot of good supportive care medications, and truthfully the treatment for the cancer should really help improve your symptoms pretty quickly with this disease.

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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.

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

Related Resources:

Lessons From a Small Cell Lung Cancer Care Partner

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

 Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Communication As a Key

Small Cell Lung Cancer Care | Communication As a Key

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)

Related Resources:

Battling Small Cell Lung Cancer | One Man’s Journey

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

 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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