| Re: Small cell cancer
Jessie,
Because of something called the "blood/brain barrier", chemo often does not affect any metastases to the brain. Frequently, when a brain lesion is found, they will do radiation to that area to get rid of that particular metastasis, and this is often very effective.
As for survivor stories...let me tell you about my mom. She was diagnosed in 1985 with 3rd stage breast cancer. Although she was nearly constantly on chemo and/or radiation therapy, she lived another 8 1/2 years and was only really sick the last 3 months of her life. She worked full-time and only missed one day of work in 8 years!
After she died, her oncologist told me that when she was initially diagnosed, none of the doctors expected her to live more than a year, if that!
So please don't either you or your mother take the "3 years to live" as gospel...it's only an average statistic and, let's face it...for something to be "averaged", you have to have things that are both lower and higher. No reason to think your Mom can't be in the "higher" group!
As one doctor said to my mom..."breast cancer is sometimes a chronic illness that can be managed for many, many years."
I wish you and your mother the best of luck in dealing with this frightening illness.
Ruth
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