Why did my bilateral lung cancer not respond to radiation?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 50-year-old woman who has been diagnosed with tumors in both lungs. Why did my bilateral lung cancer not respond to radiation at 50? I recently completed a course of radiation therapy; however, my latest scans show minimal improvement. I would like to better understand why the treatment may not have been effective in my case.

Could this indicate that the cancer is resistant to radiation, or might radiation therapy not have been the most suitable approach for this type of tumor? I would appreciate a simple explanation to help me better understand my situation.

Thank you for your guidance.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

If cancer is found in both lungs, it usually means the disease is at an advanced stage. In these situations, radiation therapy is mainly used to manage symptoms or target certain spots, instead of trying to remove all the cancer from the body.

Since radiation only affects the area being treated, tumors in other parts of the body or tiny cancer cells might keep growing. Some tumors also do not respond as well to radiation because cancer cells can react differently to treatment. This does not mean the treatment was wrong, but it could mean that adding other treatments like targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy might help.

The next important step is to look at your biopsy report and think about molecular or genetic tests, like EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), ALK (Anaplastic lymphoma kinase), ROS1 (c-ros oncogene 1), KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog), and PD-L1 (Programmed death-ligand 1). These tests can show if targeted therapy or immunotherapy might work for you. Often, these treatments can lead to better results than using radiation alone.

If you are comfortable, you can share your biopsy report, Computed tomography (CT) or Positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) scan results, and any molecular or NGS test results. With this information, I can give you more specific advice about your treatment options.

I wish you strength and all the best as you go through your treatment.

Thank you.