Pneumonia and lung cancer Posted: 02-06-08 07:58am
Six months ago my father, age 68, was
diagnosed with stage 3b lung cancer. He
is currently on a break after 6 cycles of
chemo, but has not "bounced back" as
expected - even more tired and his cough
has increased. A CT scan this week shows
pneumonia in both lungs - or the doc says
it's possibly an advancement of the
cancer; however he his treating my father
with antibiotics for one week and with
then reassess. My question, in my father's
condition, how serious is pneumonia?
Thank you for your reply.
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DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
Joined: 19 Dec 2005 Posts: 16777211
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Lung Cancer Answer A3632 Posted: 02-11-08 05:39am
One of the side effects of chemotherapy is
that it weakens immunity. A weak immune
system makes the body susceptible to
various infections, including pneumonia.
Lung cancer makes the body especially
susceptible to the development of lung
infections (pneumonia). Your father’s
condition (lung cancer complicated with
pneumonia) is very serious and
unfortunately you can probably expect the
worst very soon.
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