Gamma knife is really very straight foward and well tolerated; http://news.cancerconnect.com/radiation-therapy-for-brain-cancer/

C

hi cinderella, my mum had her surgery prior to the chemo and radiation, we got so startled, we just wished to get the beast out of her body at all cost, even risking her left lung pneumonectomy…her surgeon said that if we had come a month later, they would not operate and when they discovered 3 lymph nodes involvement, the protocol says clearly – no operation before neoadjuvant therapy…so it was a bare risk anyway…however, they said, 3 months and now it´s 1.5 yr and she´s still down here, her markers dropped from 65 to 1.3 after starting to take Tarceva…none of the treatments, chemo or radiation could not stop the activity until she started to take Tarceva…if she took it right away, we might not have risk the spreading of the cancer to her right lung and a met to L4 vertebrae…but all these are just our speculations, nobody knows what if…take care and don´t worry, stats and docs don´t know what´s the plan with you down here…enjoy every minute of your life, don´t get frustrated, sending a lot of positive vibes and strength to defeat everything that deprive you of your happiness.

welcome to our community, pokydot…

I am sure it has been a tough couple of days. Chemo can be tough, but not as bad as it used to be; there are many ways to prevent or reduce the side effects and the key thing is to make sure you tell your doctor whatever side effects you are experiencing; too many patients feel they cant let their doctor know. here is some general info on small cell http://news.cancerconnect.com/small-cell-lung-cancer-overview/

hi mikie, my mum´s just finished the second month on Tarceva, the side effects are a hell to go through but we still manage…the more we waited with the ineffective chemo, the worst…she has all the side effects one can imagine, loss of appetite, stomachaches, nose and chin rash, diarrhoea – she takes tablets to fight it and then it´s okay again…she has curly eyelashes, strange hair quality, thicker and dryer, mouth sores, rough nails, however, since the markers dropped from 65 to 14 at her last check-up we keep going and don´t despair…yesterday she had her MRI done, at first sight they told us there was no evidence of growth or changes, but we need to wait until a thorough examination of the scans is complete…next week we see our oncologist, she will tell us more…will keep you posted…as for the cough, mum´s started to have it again since she stopped wit the chemo and radiation, however, it might be due to the tiny spots they discovered on her now only left ”right lung” maybe the result of waiting too long and taking 6 rounds of bad chemo…mum´s been dx since January 2009, so it´s been over 1yr. & 6,5 month now like you…to tell the thruth, Tarceva works with us, so why not work with you, we don´t expect miracles as clearing out everything, but it stops what can be stopped and the side effects aren´t as harsh as you experienced with the right chemo…mum´s still going to work, prepares meals she likes, goes for walks in the garden and with our dog when the sun´s nearly down and it´s not so hot and most of all she regained back 2kgs so we stay positive…we hope it will do its job for a long time…take care and stay positive…keep us posted…mirka:)))

I have some experience in this area; isolated liver mets can often be treated if there is no other evidence of cancer; certain cancer centers specialize in this and other liver directed therapies; what part of the country do you live in?