Lung CT

[Anonymous]

My mom had a lung CT today, and two hours later they left her a message saying to come in tomorrow to see the oncologist.

5 years ago she had breast cancer, cleared after radiation and chemo. She’s had stomach issues for years, and last year convinced her oncologist (whom she sees biannually) to order an abdominal CT. That identified something in her lungs that they biopsied and determined to be scar tissue as a result of radiation for her breast cancer. She was told to get a follow-up lung CT in one year, which the oncologist ordered and which was done today.


Is there any chance this isn’t cancer? I’m glad we only have to wait until tomorrow to hear but I’m terrified. She’s 64, healthy and active, never smoked.

[Anonymous]

I would think that if the oncologist ordered it, the oncologist would be who she would go to for anything that requires follow up. So, it could be something that requires biopsy and turns out to be more scar tissue, or it could be something totally unrelated to cancer. Of course, it could also be cancer, but that's one possibility.

I hope you get good results.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes something in the lung can removed, and all goes well. Even IF it were cancer, it might be that it can be dealt with without being too scary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would think that if the oncologist ordered it, the oncologist would be who she would go to for anything that requires follow up. So, it could be something that requires biopsy and turns out to be more scar tissue, or it could be something totally unrelated to cancer. Of course, it could also be cancer, but that's one possibility.

I hope you get good results.

+1 Please keep us posted.

[Anonymous]

Does she have access to the imaging report through a portal? That's where I would start.

[Anonymous]

They might want her to get an MRI next to clarify what something on the image is. That’s what happened to me.

[Anonymous]

OP how was it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP how was it?

Thanks for checking in. The nodule in her lung that was biopsied (and found to be benign) last year has grown. It may still be benign or it may be lung cancer. The good news is that if it's lung cancer, the doctor thinks its primary lung cancer and not related to her breast cancer, which would be much more dangerous. There is only one growth and it is relatively slow growing, so if it is lung cancer, the prognosis so far is pretty good.

So I guess that's good news? Still very scary! She'll meet with her pulmonologist tomorrow for next steps. The oncologist recommended a second biopsy or a wedge resection. My mom is extremely disinclined towards a biopsy because she had a terrible time with the first one (coughing up huge amounts of blood and feeling like she was suffocating). I doubt surgery would be any better though..