Lung cancer help

Hi my name is Debbie I am 56 years old and was diagnosed with originally stage T2b N1 lung cancer

I was booked into guys hospital on 11th May to have robot assisted sugery for a lower lobectomy and lymph node dissection .

I had the surgery successfully the recent diagnosis

Is now after surgery Stage T4 N1

They removed a 10 cm mass and 8 lymph nodes

The surgeon said they removed all the cancer it was all clean 4 of lymph nodes were cancerous.

No more cancer seen 50-50 chance it could come back

I am so confused and sad they have offered two choices one get on with my life carry on with 3 month checks scans etc or have courses of chemotherapy .

They said due to the fact there's no cancer there they wouldn't know if it worked or not . I asked what my chances were if I had chemo it coming back 50 -50 

Chance hence my dilemma I am inclined  totake my chances 

We are up to our necks in debt due to no financial help as my husband earns over threshold we have approached every avenue for help none available

So even if we did decide for me to have chemotherapy we would be buggered 

Has anyone else decicided against chemotherapy

Thank you Debbie

  • Hello Debbie and welcome to Cancer Chat

    It does sound like a difficult dilemma you are facing and I hope you can make the right decision for you. If you haven't done it already, it might be worth asking your medical team what they recommend in your situation whether there is an option for you that makes it the least likely that the cancer would come back. I think you might also benefit from talking to one of our cancer nurses and explain to them your different treatment options. They might be able to shed some light on certain aspects of each option. You can ring them on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

    It can be so hard in a situation like yours to know what financial help is actually available. We have in-depth information on our website on the different types of financial support available which you can find here. There may also be benefits and charity grants you may be eligible for and a number of organisations offer financial advice so don't hesitate to contact them. Macmillan also have a very good financial support tool which you can access here. Try also contacting your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau and they will be able to offer you financial advice targeted to your particular needs. It does sound though like you have explored all possible avenues but worth keeping an eye on all the options and check if there is anything you might be eligible for in your situation.

    I hope you manage to find out more to help you ease these financial pressures and that you also make the right treatment decision. I hope you will also hear from some of our members here who have been in a similar boat before and that they will be along soon to offer you some tips or advice based on their own experiences.

    Best wishes,

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator