Lung cancer vs. TB - Cancer: Lung Message Board

cmmm47 · 01-18-2005, 05:32 PM

An elderly male has a history of TB 55 years ago for which he was
hospitalized for 18 months. Can his scars shown on CXR from the TB be
misinterpreted as lung cancer? There was no organ found to have
distant metasasis upon scanning internal organs. He is to have serial
CXRs to see if any changes in the lungs occur over the next year.
Does this sound like a likely scenario or does it sound unusual that
old TB scars could appear as carcinoma? Please elaborate.

mwessell · 01-18-2005, 05:39 PM

I may be wrong but I think a TB scar would show up as an abscess. An abscess was found on my lung and the first thing they did was order a TB test.

cmmm47 · 01-20-2005, 08:42 AM

Thanks for your comment. I found out from an MD that they should be able to tell the difference on chest xray but really they need to do a biopsy to tell for sure if its cancer or not. He may not be up to another big surgery or the area may be inoperable. In any case they are just going to watch and wait for the time being.

shadowrose40 · 01-21-2005, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmmm47

An elderly male has a history of TB 55 years ago for which he was
hospitalized for 18 months. Can his scars shown on CXR from the TB be
misinterpreted as lung cancer? There was no organ found to have
distant metasasis upon scanning internal organs. He is to have serial
CXRs to see if any changes in the lungs occur over the next year.
Does this sound like a likely scenario or does it sound unusual that
old TB scars could appear as carcinoma? Please elaborate.

A chest xray isn't nearly specific enough to diagnose lung cancer. Most scarring on the lungs looks the same. Sarring and cancer are two entirely different things.

X-rays a year apart at this point, if there is anything irregular on the x-ray is NOT, and I repeat NOT the way to go.

First, they should do a lung CT. That will differentiate lung scars from TB from CA possibility from pneumonia.

If this is you or a loved one, INSIST on a CT scan immediately. Wait and see, especially with possible lung cancer, is a deadly game with lung cancer possibility.

Ct-biopsy should be the immediate steps!