Squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis/discussion

I stumbled upon this forum and noticed how much you all support one another through various health challenges. I am reaching out because I am looking for ways to support my grandfather, who was born in 1938. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy, and I just want to find anything that might help boost his immunity and give him a bit more strength during this fight.
I’ve decided to share his full medical report here, so if anyone has any meaningful advice or insights, I would be incredibly grateful. Does anyone know of specific supplements or methods that could help?

1. PATHOLOGY REPORT

Diagnosis: Squamous cell carcinoma of the bronchus (Grade III)
Description: Four small biopsy tissue samples, ranging from needle-tip to pinhead size, were submitted for histopathological processing. Microscopic examination of one sample showed no recognizable bronchial mucosal tissue, while the remaining samples are dominated by tumor tissue composed of atypical squamous epithelial cells arranged in solid clusters. The examined tumor tissue is consistent with poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.

2. BRONCHOSCOPY FINDINGS

Description: The larynx and trachea show normal lumen and mucosal appearance. The vocal cords are smooth, shiny, and mobile. The tracheal bifurcation is sharp and mobile.
Right bronchial tree: Findings are normal.
Left bronchial tree: At the very beginning of the left main bronchus, approximately 1/2 cm from the carina, a tumor mass is visible, originating from the posterior wall of the left main bronchus. This mass obstructs the lumen of the left main bronchus, leaving only a tiny gap for ventilation, which made further exploration impossible.

3. CHEST CT SCAN

The scan was performed using an anti-reflective series with 10 mm slices, and the critical area near the carina was scanned at 5 mm intervals.
In the hilar region, there is an obstruction of the left main bronchus located about 2 cm from the junction, causing atelectasis in the apical segment of the upper lobe and the lingula, along with significant pulling of the trachea, mediastinum, and cardiovascular system toward that side.
A small amount of pleural effusion is noted in the left pleural sinus.
The right lung field shows no abnormalities.
The visualized portions of the liver and spleen appear normal, though the pancreas shows a somewhat coarse structure with microcalcifications.
The CT findings indicate a tumor process on the posterior wall of the left main bronchus, measuring approximately 36x27mm, which causes the described obstruction and atelectasis alongside existing treated changes in the upper lobe.
Signs of chronic pancreatitis are noted.

Thank you all so much in advance for any help you can provide.

hm.... It is quite difficult to find the right balance here without sounding insensitive, but I truly believe you should consult an oncologist regarding your grandfather. Attempting to manage drug interactions by memory rather than expert guidance is risky, especially given his specific medical history. While the report indicates the cancer is inoperable, one can never be entirely certain how he might respond to chemotherapy...
Wishing you the best in any case. If there are updates or if you feel up to sharing more, please let us know.

Thanks so much for reaching out.
We aren't questioning the medical findings or the treatment plan one bit. He’s under constant supervision right now, and we're having his bloodwork checked every seven days just to make sure his white blood cell count stays high enough so he can move forward with his next round of chemotherapy next week.
I wasn't suggesting that we should interfere with what the doctors prescribe or advise, because we really do follow their guidance to the letter. It’s more that they suggested we look into some supplemental ways to help him maintain his weight and keep his blood counts steady while giving his immune system a little boost, so I thought someone here might have some thoughtful advice to share. I happened to come across a thread previously mentioning that a blend of apple, carrot, and beet juice can be quite helpful, so we actually started incorporating that into his routine today.
I’m hopeful that someone might chime in with a few more ideas.

Carol Ramirez said:Regardless, thanks for reaching out.
We aren't questioning the medical findings or the treatment plan one bit. We're following everything to the letter. He’s under constant supervision right now, with bloodwork being done every seven days just to make sure his white blood cell count doesn't tank, which would prevent him from getting his next round of chemo next week.
I wasn't suggesting we meddle with what the doctors prescribe—we stick strictly to their advice. It’s more that they suggested we look into alternative ways to help him maintain his weight and keep his blood counts steady while giving his immune system a boost, so I figured someone here might have some actual, sensible advice. I saw some discussions on other threads mentioning that a blend of apple, carrot, and beet juice helps quite a bit, so we started doing that today.
I'm hoping someone might chime in with some additional ideas.

My mom handled her chemo incredibly well thanks to native propolis.
You can find all the details at www.amazon.com
Check out this forum too: http://www.reddit.com/r/health/ where our regular users share their own methods for tackling those brutal chemo side effects. But honestly, nothing beats hearing directly from people who've been through it.

Grade 3? I honestly don't even know how I could help you with that—I'm just so sorry.

Thanks for the tip, I’ll make sure to pick up some propolis.
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time reading through advice on how to manage chemotherapy, though I’ve noticed a lot of it tends to be more about people offering mutual support rather than practical guidance. Don't get me wrong, those expressions of compassion are truly lovely to read, and I have certainly picked up some helpful insights along the way.
We had his blood work done again today, and his white blood cell count has dropped. It was within the normal range just last week, but now it's already fallen below the threshold. Because of that, I decided to grab some shark oil capsules from Amazon. I've heard quite a few positive things suggesting they can help boost white blood cell levels and strengthen the immune system. Does anyone here have any personal experience with this, or perhaps an opinion on it?

Michelle Cook83, would you mind walking me through how those grades work? I’m trying to wrap my head around what they actually signify and where the limit is. Looking at your previous post, it seems like Grade III isn't exactly the news anyone wants to hear...

I’m looking for some help interpreting these latest test results again.
My grandfather just wrapped up his third round of chemotherapy, and this is where things stand right now:

Upon admission, he was conscious, oriented, afebrile, breathing normally at rest, with normal skin color, no palpable peripheral lymph nodes, and able to move around.

LUNGS: Normal breath sounds, though they were slightly quieter at the left base with some inspiratory crackles.
HEART: Upon admission, heart rate was rapid but rhythmic, heart sounds were clear, though there was a systolic murmur heard over the apex (?) BP: 160/110
Chest X-ray (PA view): Previous radiological findings (a homogenous shadow extending to the anterior margin of the 3rd rib on the left) show good regression (some reduction in parenchymal opacity at the left base)
BRONCHOSCOPY: A tumor mass located on the posterior wall of the left main bronchus appears stationary compared to the previous endoscopic finding.
EKG: Atrial fibrillation, absolute arrhythmia, HR 160/min, left axis deviation, left-sided ischemia. Currently showing sinus rhythm at about 98/min, with PVCs
LAB RESULTS: All within the reference ranges that allow him to proceed with the next round of chemo.

What exactly does "show good regression" and "finding is stationary" mean? Does this imply he's actually getting better? 👋

I won't bore you with all the technical jargon about grading, let’s just keep it simple
Grading is basically used to set certain prognostic benchmarks. So, you should look at a G1 as a good sign, whereas a G3 is unfortunately considered a poor indicator. Obviously, grade affects other criteria too, but there's really no point in stressing over those right now.

Regarding that last point you made—you could argue things are looking up, but honestly, try to keep in mind that this report was primarily designed to help doctors decide whether or not to push forward with chemo.

Anyway, I'm sending nothing but the best vibes to your grandpa.

Carol Ramirez said:What does "showing good regression" and "stationary finding" actually mean? Is he getting better?? 👋

Yeah. Honestly, the longer things stay in this kind of state, the better it is for him. Just to break down those grades for you—think of it like this: a grade 1 means it’s well-differentiated cancer, a 2 is moderately differentiated, and a 3 is poorly differentiated. Basically, the lower the differentiation, the tougher the prognosis.

Michelle Cook83, you hit the nail on the head; the lack of differentiation made surgery off the table from the start. It’s particularly tricky when you're dealing with the bronchial tubes.

At the end of the day, though, my main focus is just how he's actually feeling, and honestly, he seems to be doing quite well. Regardless of what those prognosis reports say or seeing that Grade III right next to the diagnosis, I just want him to have a good quality of life.

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to clear things up for me. 😘

No problem at all.

Carol Ramirez, what kind of chemo is he actually getting?

Cisplatin combined with Pfizer (PE), at least for the time being.

After finishing his sixth round of chemo, my grandfather had some tests done, and these were part of the results:

X-ray: Findings remain stable compared to previous imaging.
CT scan of the chest and upper abdomen: On the left side, there is a primary soft tissue mass in the main bronchus measuring approximately 4cm, which is attached to the pleura via fibrous formations. There are enlarged and pathologically altered lymph nodes in the posterior mediastinum. The left kidney shows normal shape, though there is a 1cm formation on the lower edge consistent with a non-functional adenoma. Degenerative changes are present in all spinal vertebrae, along with atherosclerotic changes in the aorta (scintigraphy is scheduled).
TUMOR MARKERS: CYFRA 2.05, NSE 11.03, CAE 7.13

I’m looking for some insight regarding these tumor markers—could anyone help me make sense of them?

Carol Ramirez said:It's Cisplatin combined with Pfizer (PE), at least for now.

How is she handling the treatment?

She’s handling it quite well. Up until this point, he has been discharged from the hospital after every treatment session in good general condition, showing absolutely no signs of intolerance. His hair has thinned out significantly, though we haven't seen any other side effects. We finally seem to be reaching a turning point with his white blood cell count; over the course of six cycles, they haven't dropped below 3.3 at any point.