Hi,I am Dr. Shanthi.E (General & Family Physician). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
Is Radiation Therapy Advisable For An Elderly Person?
My mother is 93 years old. She has been a stage 4 lung cancer survivor for 5 years. She was taking the drug Tarceva for 5 years. After her last CT scan the tumor showed some growth. Her doctor put her on the drug Gilotrif which caused her legs to severely break out. Now her doctor has recommended radiation. She lives in her own home, plays bridge, goes grocery shopping, goes to church etc. She is a small woman of 95 lbs, her skin is very thin and bruises easily. I am not sure I want to put her through the Monday-Friday treatments for 7 weeks of low dose radiation for the right side tumor and 3 high dose treatments for the left side of the lung. What are your suggestions? Pro s and con s