Hello all,
I am new to the group and am inquiring for my best friend of over thirty
years who has lung cancer and is computer illiterate.

 She had cervical cancer in 1994, had a radical hysterectomy and
radiation afterwards. She was cancer free until  2003 when a CT scan
discovered a growth in her upper right lobe, which the doctor originally
thought was a lung fungus, since she has never smoked in her life.  She
had VATS surgery which showed it was in fact lung cancer and was thought
to be a metastasis; less than a year later it returned and she had a
lung wedge resection at Memorial Sloan Kettering.  She was on
carboplatin and taxotere afterwards.  She has been complaining of pain
in her side for months and the doctors felt it was a result of the
surgery.  In early November the CT and afterwards, PET scans showed a
return in the lung as well as rib invasion.  She was put on cisplatin,
topotecan and zometa to be administered for three days in a row every
third week.  She had three courses then had a CT scan, which showed the
cancer was not reacting to the chemo.

She is now scheduled for surgery on Tuesday to remove the new tumor as
well as the rib resection.  Does anyone have any experience with rib
resection?  In addition to the lung surgeon operating, there will also
be a plastic surgeon to do the rib resection on at least two ribs.  She
is an avid horsewoman and the doctors told her she may not be able to
ride again, which really has her depressed.

Thanks in advance for any information you can give her.

Lorraine