Regular review is very important whether you have early or advanced lung cancer. Internationally, the goal of lung cancer treatment is to manage it as a chronic disease, like hypertension or diabetes. Since it is a chronic disease, you need to be prepared to develop a good relationship with this special “friend”. It is like taking care of a child, you need to take care of it regularly and know how it is “growing”. Of course, the most important thing is to develop a good, harmonious mindset for living with or without a tumor, which will help you live and work with your disease.
So, how do you “care” for an old friend?
Limited-stage small cell lung cancer
If you have small cell lung cancer (SCLC), you can choose to have a CT scan of your chest and abdomen every 3 months for the first 2 years after your radiotherapy. You can have these exams every 6 months for the third year and then once a year thereafter.
Extensive-stage small cell lung cancer
If you have advanced SCLC, you may choose to have chest and abdominal CT s every 2 months for the first year after initial systemic therapy, and every 3 to 4 months for the second year. These exams can be done every 6 months in year 3 and then once a year thereafter.
Notably, because SCLC is prone to metastasis, current guidelines recommend that patients who do not receive prophylactic whole-brain irradiation need to have a head MR at each review to detect brain metastases in a timely manner.
Remind you that the above suggested review tools and frequency are for informational purposes only and that you should visit your oncologist promptly if you are uncomfortable and follow your physician’s orders for review frequency and tests to work together to develop your own schedule for managing your lung cancer.
Co-authors: Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute Dr. Bai Xiaoyan Dr. Zhang Yichen