:confused: Im brand new to this board and not even sure I belong here. I may have lung cancer. I am going through tests to find out.

It all started last May when I was hospitalized for another unrelated health problem which required a head Cat scan. They found a brain tumor. (Total shock) It turned out to be a benign meningioma in the right frontal lobe and I had surgery on Sept 8th. Total removal even though it had grown from 2.3cm to 4.5 and was wrapped around the optic nerve. That was trauma enough but I was recovering very nicely from that with little or no discernible defficits.

Two weeks after surgery I developed a very bad cold and that was horrible while trying to recover from cranial surgery. But it lasted 3 weeks and I finally went to a doctor and found out it was pneumonia. I was then put on antibiotics for 10 days and did improve. However my final xray to determine if my lungs were clear showed some scarring . So a chest cat scan was ordered. This showed multiple bilateral nodules without calcification.
The report states There is a patchy ground glass appearance to the lung parenchyma possible related to variable aeration. (I wondered if that could have been from my recent surgery and anesthesia)
All of th nodules measure less than 1 cm in diameter. They are not calcified and cannot be clearly characterized as benign. There is some focal stranding in the left lung base which may be related to atelectasis or scar. (anyone know the definition of atelectasis. ) Mestastatic disease cannot be excluded and diagnostic eval. for primary neoplasm should be considered. Ther is no discrete nodule seen that could be a biopsy candidate at this time.

Now I am the type of person who has to know evertything I can about my condidion. I want to be actively involved in decision making about my care. So I dont know much about this. I dont even know what to look for. No one :confused: has actually come out and said lung cancer but this report kind of says it.

Before my brain tumor I became active in looking for the best surgeon and hospital I could find. I went to Boston, (100 miles away from my home to have the surgery)
So I need help finding resources. I had a full torso cat scan today (with contrast and injection) Tomorrow I speak to a doctor about a colonoscopy, and I will be having a mamogram. I have an appointment next week with a thoracic surgeon, and the following week with a pulmonologist. Should I wait until I see them and get more information or should I start digging in now.
The thought of facing surgery again so soon after major surgery is kind of mind boggling. But I cant sit back and do nothing. I need info to be prepared. How do you determine what kind of lung cancer it is. ie:small cell vs non small cell. Is that done strictly through biopsy. If I cant have a biopsy will they do a brohnchoscopy?

I know I've asked a whole lot of questions here. But I need to know and I am so scared. Its better than last week when all I could do was cry. I now want to go forward and fight this thing.

JoAnne Bowen

Hi JoAnne.

Sorry you have come to this board (sorry for the reasons anyway!). I am going through something somewhat similar. I went in for a CT scan of my chest and abdomen for a non-lung issue and they found an 8mm nodule. I went for the repeat in August and it had grown to 9.6mm and was classified as having irregular edges. I had a bronchoscopy that was negative (including washings and biopsy) but I am going back the day after Thanksgiving to have another CT scan.

I know the bronch was negative, but I have read about a lot of people who have had false negatives. I try not to think about the results of the next scan but it's hard to not worry.

I don't have any answers for you, just a bit of support if you'll take it.

Monica

Hi JoAnne...it's great that you got thru brain surgery so well and have been recovering well, and great that the tumor was benign. Sounds like a nightmare tho, sorry you had to go thru all that. With that tumor being benign it's real possible that the lung nodules are too... there are many things that can cause lung nodules, including pneumonia.

There are online dictionaries you can bookmark to help you with all the words from your medical reports....atelectasis..at·e·lec·ta·sis. . <chest medicine, radiology> A term used to describe partial or complete collapse of the lung, usually due to an obstruction of a bronchus (with mucus plug, infection or cancer).

Here is some information I found about pneumonia and lung nodules, written by an RN...."Nodules are due to infections, inflammation, or tumors. Since the nodules are less than 1 centimeter in size they are very unlikely to be cancer. A chest CT scan is usually the next test that is done because it is more sensitive and shows more detail than a chest x-ray. Atelectasis is an area of the lung that is not receiving air. This is often referred to as a collapsed area of the lung. Generally this is due to something blocking the airway in that area of the lung. This could be due to your recent pneumonia."


Your lung nodules are too small to biopsy with bronchoscopy or a needle biopsy, it would have to be a surgical biopsy. Small cell cancer most usually grows very rapidly, most of the non-small cancers grow slowly..I'm pretty sure you have to have a biopsy to know which kind you might have, but cancer cells will sometimes show up in blood tests and sputum tests.
If I were you I'd be researching as much as I can but don't scare yourself, there are so many things multiple lung nodules can be other than cancer.

Good luck............sincerely..............T iz.

I went in for a CT scan of my chest and abdomen for a non-lung issue and they found an 8mm nodule. I went for the repeat in August and it had grown to 9.6mm and was classified as having irregular edges. I had a bronchoscopy that was negative (including washings and biopsy) but I am going back the day after Thanksgiving to have another CT scan.

I know the bronch was negative, but I have read about a lot of people who have had false negatives. I try not to think about the results of the next scan but it's hard to not worry.

Monica


Hi Monica...yeah, it's hard to not worry, especially since your nodule is growing, but infections grow and hopefully that's all that your nodule is. My pulmonologist told me irregular shaped nodules are hard to measure accurately because it's possible that, from one scan, they measured a slightly narrower section of the nodule and in the next scan they measured it in a slightly different area that may look larger because it was a wider area because of the irregular boarders. I hope that made sense to you. Think of the shape of a peanut in the shell, how it's narrower at the center and widens as it goes towards the ends...the radiologist may have measured just a fraction away from where he measured in the first scan. That's what my pulmo told me anyway. And nodules less than 15mm to 2cm are very rarely cancer.

It's good your bronchoscopy was negative...with the very small size of your nodule I wouldn't think they got samples from it (nodules less than 2cm are hard to find), so they can't be sure it ISN'T cancer, but it's very good that there are no cancer cells in any of the biopsy samples from the area AROUND the nodule or in your airways.

Good luck and try not to worry too much, sincerely............Tiz.

Hi Monica...yeah, it's hard to not worry, especially since your nodule is growing, but infections grow and hopefully that's all that your nodule is. My pulmonologist told me irregular shaped nodules are hard to measure accurately because it's possible that, from one scan, they measured a slightly narrower section of the nodule and in the next scan they measured it in a slightly different area that may look larger because it was a wider area because of the irregular boarders. I hope that made sense to you. Think of the shape of a peanut in the shell, how it's narrower at the center and widens as it goes towards the ends...the radiologist may have measured just a fraction away from where he measured in the first scan. That's what my pulmo told me anyway. And nodules less than 15mm to 2cm are very rarely cancer.

It's good your bronchoscopy was negative...with the very small size of your nodule I wouldn't think they got samples from it (nodules less than 2cm are hard to find), so they can't be sure it ISN'T cancer, but it's very good that there are no cancer cells in any of the biopsy samples from the area AROUND the nodule or in your airways.

Good luck and try not to worry too much, sincerely............Tiz.

Hi Tiz!

I've heard/read that before about cancer generally being not the size my nodule is .... but then I think, well, they have to start somewhere, right? And it's not like I went for a CT scan because I was having any lung problems.

I have already considered the measurement thing you mentioned as well ... so it's good to have some verification. My pulmonologist said he doesn't think it is cancer but he can't be sure unless it is taken out. I'm afraid that if it has grown I will be urged to have surgery to remove it, which I don't want to do - but on the other hand, I don't want it in there if it is cancer!!

Very frustrating all around.

Thanks,
Monica

Hi Tiz!

I've heard/read that before about cancer generally being not the size my nodule is .... but then I think, well, they have to start somewhere, right? And it's not like I went for a CT scan because I was having any lung problems.

I have already considered the measurement thing you mentioned as well ... so it's good to have some verification. My pulmonologist said he doesn't think it is cancer but he can't be sure unless it is taken out. I'm afraid that if it has grown I will be urged to have surgery to remove it, which I don't want to do - but on the other hand, I don't want it in there if it is cancer!!

Very frustrating all around.

Thanks,
Monica



Hi Monica...yeah, frustrating. Do you have high risks for cancer? Over age 50, smoking (present or within the last 5 years or so)...family history of cancer? Genetics can count quite a bit. Have you read about VATS surgery (video assisted thoracic surgery)...it's way less trauma than the regular, thoracotomy...if you're reasonably healthy the VATS surgery isn't considered to be real hard...look it up if you haven't already.

Good luck on your next CT scan!!.........................Tiz.