Holistic Wellness Tips for Living with Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Video Series with Dr. Carolyn Presley
Living with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) can come with uncertainty and new daily challenges – for both patients and caregivers. Whether you’re recently diagnosed or are already undergoing treatment, it’s important to understand the impact the disease can have on your overall wellbeing. In a series of short videos, Dr. Carolyn Presley, a thoracic and geriatric oncologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, discusses the importance of wellbeing for people living with SCLC and offers helpful guidance covering the different aspects of wellness: financial health, mental health and physical health. Watch for helpful tips on how to make wellness a part of your daily routine.
Navigating the financial impacts of small cell lung cancer
Understanding the role of mental health for small cell lung cancer patients
Understanding palliative care and how to navigate it
Recognizing the role of physical wellness for small cell lung cancer patients
About Dr. Presley
Dr. Presley is a thoracic and geriatric oncologist specializing in the treatment of older adults with advanced lung cancer. She received her medical training at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, and completed her residency and combined fellowship in geriatric oncology and Master of Health Science at Yale School of Medicine. She currently works in the Thoracic Oncology Center at the The Ohio State University, Comprehensive Cancer Center and The James Cancer Hospital/Solove Research Institute, and serves as co-director of the Cancer and Aging Resiliency Clinic. Dr. Presley’s research focuses on optimizing patients’ functional status and minimizing treatment burdens for older adults with lung cancer based on their treatment and other aspects of their health, including nutrition, physical therapy, psychiatry and more. In addition to conducting clinical and outcomes research on patients with lung cancer, she also works as a physician helping patients retain their functional independence in their everyday lives. Dr. Presley is passionate about her work and wanting people to live well with, through, and beyond a cancer diagnosis.
Additional Wellness Resources for Anyone Living with Small Cell Lung Cancer
Living with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) can be physically and emotionally challenging for patients and their loved ones. From receiving a diagnosis to navigating the ins and outs of treatment and planning ahead, it’s natural to have questions and concerns at various stages of the cancer experience. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available to support your health and wellness. In addition to regular check-ins and conversations with your healthcare team, the following tools can help you manage your treatment goals, plan for the future and connect with others who have been in your shoes.
Find a Place Where You “Belong”
Whether you have a few or many trusted people in your corner during this time, there are resources available to discuss your feelings about SCLC outside of your family and friends. To improve the quality of life and care for those living with lung cancer, GO2 for Lung Cancer and LUNGevity have online and telephone support groups.
Connect with Counseling
Coping with an SCLC diagnosis can feel overwhelming, and there may be other points along the treatment journey when a patient needs assistance. Fortunately, no one has to manage their cancer on their own. There are several options to consider for personal, couple or family counseling. Some people find talking with a minister or pastor to be helpful. Finding a professional mental health counselor or therapist in your community can also be helpful. You can consider asking family and friends or your health care team for recommendations. Many cancer centers also provide counseling services that may be provided short-term free of charge or covered by your insurance. Ask your doctor, nurse or oncology social worker for information about counseling services through or near your treatment center. Check with your insurance company about mental health coverage as there may be a list of therapists in your community that are covered by your insurance. In some communities, there are free cancer support programs and services through organizations like the Cancer Support Community, Gilda’s Club and other organizations across the country. To get help finding professional counseling and other support services in your area, online or by phone, contact CancerCare’s national Hopeline at 1-800-813-4673 or the Cancer Support Community Helpline at 1-888-793-9355.
Understand Unique Challenges
Part of living with a difficult-to-treat cancer like SCLC means learning to adapt and adjust to a range of unique situations. Patient advocacy organizations like LUNGevity, GO2 for Lung Cancer, Lung Cancer Foundation of America and CancerCare understand the challenges people living with SCLC and their loved ones face and provide resources for insights into what to expect from treatment, the importance of certain lifestyle changes and post-treatment programs to support survivorship. LUNGevity recognizes that cancer therapies can take a physical and mental toll on patients being treated for lung cancer. On its “Managing Treatment Side Effects” page, the organization addresses these challenges head-on, including tips to manage side effects.1 LUNGevity also invites patients, caregivers, researchers and other people touched by lung cancer to share firsthand tips and thoughts from their experiences. For example, the LUNGevity blog page highlights a variety of topics including important information about diet and nutrition, as well as how to cope with certain symptoms of cancer treatment, among many others.2 Additional resources, like the “Managing Your Breathing” page, provide practical tips for living with lung cancer after treatment.3
- LUNGevity. Managing Treatment Side Effects. https://www.lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/survivor-resource-center/managing-treatment-side-effects. Updated January 1, 2025. Accessed March 25, 2025.
- LUNGevity. Blogs. https://www.lungevity.org/blogs. Updated January 1, 2025. Accessed March 25, 2025.
- LUNGevity. Managing Your Breathing. https://www.lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/survivor-resource-center/managing-your-breathing. Updated January 1, 2025. Accessed
March 25, 2025.