Surgery for Stage 4 NSCLC
Last year, I was here posting about my cancer diagnosis. Mine was NSCLC in my left upper lobe with pleural metastasis, which made me Stage 4.
I actually caught it relatively early because I had my yearly chest X-ray. However, because I was only in my 30s, everyone initially thought it was an infection. Fast-forward, and it turned out to be lung cancer with an EGFR exon 19 deletion mutation.
I underwent immunotherapy and radiation, and I’m now on Tagrisso (osimertinib). It’s been about 6 months since I achieved remission, but I’m still continuing Tagrisso.
My oncologist is now recommending that I have the remaining/residual nodule surgically removed. I’m trying to learn from others who have been in a similar situation.
Part of me is worried that if we remove the residual nodule and the cancer progresses again somewhere else afterward, then was the surgery really worth it? I’m also wondering whether removing it could potentially reduce the chance of future progression, or if it’s better to continue monitoring it while staying on Tagrisso.
Has anyone here with EGFR-mutated Stage 4 NSCLC had surgery or another form of local treatment for a residual nodule after responding well to Tagrisso?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially what your doctors recommended and how things turned out. Thank you! ❤️