Surviving Lung Cancer

Surviving Lung Cancer Contents

1 - Progress Reports & Other Events

2 - Found in the Media

3 - Useful Websites

4 - Comments on Scan Reports

5 - Comments on Turmeric & Curcumin

6 - The 5:2 Diet



16AUG16 - About time that I updated this blog.  We've just been away on a short trip to Cairns, that's at the top right-hand corner of Australia so in our winter it is a bit warmer than Sydney and gave us a very good chance to defrost.  We had a really good time up there staying in a small 4* hotel. Each day we had a very leisurely breakfast followed by touring the local tourist sites.






17JAN16 - Happy New Year to everyone.  A few days ago it was exactly six years since I was first diagnosed with Lung Cancer.  I now seem to be very stable and feel that I'm returning to normal life expectancy.  Normally any cancer medication seems to last just over a couple of years before the body resists it and the patient has to change to a different type of medication.  I would expect this to happen with me and I might get the opportunity to try one of the newer medications that seem to be more effective for many people. Meanwhile we will keep enjoying ourselves with travel on cruise ships which is nice and easy for us.  


30SEP15 I'm now towards the end of my 6th survival year, statistically I should have only survived about 15 months after my diagnosis so how have I lasted so long?  I think the answer is that I have done what the Oncologist and other Specialists including a Dietician have told me to do.  It's quite simple, do not have any added sugar, no Hi-GI foods such as corn, no alcohol and no trans fatty acids (junk food).  Also have at least 15 minutes of exercise each day.  The main part of surviving is in the mind so do all the right things and try to live your life the way that you have always done, travel, gardening and other jobs around the house together with making long term plans.  I do come into contact with many others who have cancer, some seem to give up from the beginning, most of them have gone now as have those who say a few spoons of sugar in your tea or a couple of glasses of wine in the evening will not do any harm, most of them have also gone.  Be positive and strive to obtain normal life expectancy.  Best of luck!


On the 12th January 2010 I was diagnosed with NSCLC (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer), Adenocarcinoma 3B, this is often referred to as the non-smokers version of Lung Cancer, most smokers end up with Squamous Cell Cancer.  I had smoked but had given up 32 years before I was diagnosed, some Respiratory Physicians and Oncologists still consider the cause to be smoking even though it was so long ago.  The Category 3B indicates that the Lung Cancer is inoperable.  In recent times, the early months of 2013 the cancer was found to have spread to my ribs, spine, sternum and most of my lymph nodes which means that it had progressed to stage 4.

My first treatment in 2010 was Taxol also known as Carboplatin or Paclitaxel Chemotherapy but it soon became apparent that my body could not handle it.  After three months various indicators in my blood had fallen to dangerously low levels causing the chemotherapy to be stopped.  My next treatment was the targetted therapy Tarceva which was very successful for 30 months, statistically its range is 10 to 14 months so I was rather fortunate to go for so long.  I am now back on a milder form of chemotherapy "Alimta" which is a maintenance treatment which is expected to control the tumours by not allowing them to increase in size.  In other words my cancer is now being treated as a chronic disease, hopefully this will go on for many years yet.