Lung Cancer Forum - size of spot on lung


size of spot on lung

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shamrocks

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size of spot on lung Posted: 03-05-08 21:40pm


Hello, Well this is a site I hoped to not have to post on. I am sure I am not alone in that thought. My Mother, during a recent chest Xray, they found a spot on her right lung. Now she is being sent for a CAT scan. Can they not tell the size of it from the Xray? Does the CAT scan determine if it is a cancer? Also in reading cancer stats, it states a 16% survival rate of a yr. after diagnosis,is that for the non small lung cancer? or just the small lung cancer? THANK YOU. this is such a great tool or informaion and support.

MandMs

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Posted: 03-10-08 04:15am


Non-small lung cancers are the most common lung cancers, accounting for about 80% of all lung cancers, and they are present and growing for years before being found. Small cells LC comprise about 20% of lung cancers and are the most aggressive and rapidly growing of all lung cancers and they are most often discovered after they have spread extensively. CT scan of the chest may be ordered when x-rays are negative or do not yield sufficient information about the extent or location of a suspected tumor. Is your mum a smoker? What kind of symptoms she has? Was this found accidentally?

shamrocks

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Posted: 03-10-08 20:03pm


Thank you for your reply. YES she smoked. She stopped four years ago. No, it was not an accident. She has been coughing on and off for a bit now.And she is VERY VERY STUBBORN.After yrs of screaming to go too the doc, she has. Now her voice goes in and out.So I think she realized, it was serious. They did a chest xray. it showed the spot on her right lung. They ordered a CAT scan, which she just had. The next step, if cancer, normally, would be to pull cell out of the spot? How long of a process is this before they start to treat it? I just want it out of her...

MandMs

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Posted: 03-12-08 04:46am


Ct scan is more sensitive than standard chest x-rays in the detection of lung tumors. If Ct scans show lung cancer, next examinations depends on location of cancer. If the cancer is in the central areas of the lung or arising from the larger airways, a bronchoscopy can be performed (visualizing the airways through a thin probe inserted in a tube through the nose or mouth, that helps tumor to be visualized and adequately sampled). Fine needle aspiration or needle biopsy, is particularly useful when the lung tumor is peripherally located in the lung and not accessible to sampling by bronchoscopy. Is she becoming short of breath very easily? Does she experience an ache or pain when breathing or coughing? Is she coughing sputum with blood?

shamrocks

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Posted: 03-12-08 21:20pm


Thank you for your information. NO she has no shortness of breath. If she has ache of pain while coughing she has not told us. And no they is no blood in her sputum. The results came in today,and they are going to do a biopsy of the..whatever it is. At what point are they 100% postive it is a cancer and not some abnormality,scar tissue..ect.. ect....? AFTER a biopsy they say yes or no to cancer? And it had not spread to any other portions of the body the scan showed. It is in the upper right portion of the right lung.

Fairysue1974

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Shadow on Lung Posted: 03-14-08 01:02am


Shamrocks my Mum to is going through same thing, she will have results back on Tuesday with what we as the family has been told is a' shadow on the lung, im wondering if its the same thing just different wording, mum is in u.k . she is diebetic and has not smoked in 15 years now, until finding out about this forum and how wonderfully helpfull and supportive people are, we as a family of brothers and sisters are afraid to talk to each other on what we think a shadow on the lung means cancer. we are worried about our mum too , so we wish you Mum good luck with Bio and its hard what your going through,

Fairysue1974

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Shadow on the Lung Posted: 03-14-08 01:23am


Hello MandMs, my mum seems to be going through same thing as shamrocks mum so i hope you dont mind me butting in, but i wanted to mention to you that the shadow on my mums lung was found by accident, i think that its the same as a spot or is there a difference! My Mum is diebetic and a few months ago had some toes removed, so she is in and out of hospital all the time with minor infections, So this shadow has been found amongst 'checking her out per say'we all think its Cancer' though we are speaking about it very quietly amongst ourselves we the family bro/sisters are scared of the thought of maybe losing our mum, so we are talking of my mums illness' but not actually mentioning Cancer; But my mum is adament that whatever her results will be next Tuesday, that there is no way is she having any operation, she seems to think if its Cancer the slightest incision on her body will casue it to spread more rapidly and shorten her life less, than if they just left it alone, my question is she right saying this and are we all presuming the worse, is there a cure or do it really spread 'if it is a cancer. thank you . pardon my spelling !!!!!

shamrocks

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Posted: 03-17-08 22:58pm


Fairysue..we could be the same person! My sis and I talk about it,but we are carfeul not to mention the C word around my Mom.I am sure she has the thoughts herself. SO Tue is our day as well.She has a pre op thing with the hospital and then a reg doc appoitnment.And then the biopsy on Wed.So i guess Wed is the day then. I just hope they tell right away what the results are with the biopsy and not make us wait through a long Holiday weekend.

MandMs

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shamrocks! Posted: 03-18-08 04:47am


You are welcome! While performing needle biopsy, cells are suctioned into the syringe and are examined under the microscope for tumor cells. This procedure is generally accurate when the tissue from the affected area is adequately sampled, but in some cases, adjacent or uninvolved areas of the lung may be mistakenly sampled (a biopsy sample that is too small for a diagnosis can affect the accuracy of the results and if needle biopsy collects tissue from a small area there is a chance that a cancer may be missed.) Biopsy can be done like open biopsy and Video-assisted thorascopic surgery, too. Lung biopsy results are usually available in 2 to 4 working days. If lung cancer is present, results of the biopsy can determine treatment options (surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy). Thinking of you and your mum for today's and tomorrow's examinations! Marija Last edited by MandMs on 03-18-08 05:13am; edited 2 times in total

MandMs

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Hi, Fairysue1974! Posted: 03-18-08 05:10am


Abnormal areas within the lung that are more dense than healthy lung tissue stand out as paler than the surrounding tissue on the x-ray picture. They are sometimes referred to as shadows. The shape and appearance of the shadow are important informations for doctor to suspect certain diagnosis. Lung cancer is usually suspected when a chest X-ray shows a shadow on the lung (some lung infections can be seen as a shadow, too) and further investigations are performed to confirm or exclude the suspected cancer. What kind of symptoms is your mum experiencing? Waiting for informations for today's appointment! Best wishes to you and your mum! Marija

shamrocks

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the outcome Posted: 03-18-08 18:10pm


I have news, and it's not good. And I don't understand any of it to be honest. Maija-- perhaps you can shed light on this information. It's choppy because I was writting it down .And I am out of state from my family, so all this was told over the phone. 1.the report states the right parathratheal mass which simulates into the mediastin and extands into something.. 2.the aorta and inferiorly to the right hilum to wrap around and narrow the right pulimanry artory ( is this that it is wrapped around the heart?) there are three masses,not one as thought. one is 2.7 by 3 cen 2. is five cm ( thats the big one inoperable because of its location the doc said) 3.and the other is just 1 cen. The GP doc. recomened we find an oncologist ASAP.We are looking at the Moffit center in FL. (anyone here from FL? use this location? know of any doc?) Also he said to prepare for radiation and chemo. Other then that she was healthy. Nice huh? My Mom still has the biospy on Wed.I guess this will determine which type of cancer it is?and how to treat it? It's all too much right now to sink in...but its comforting to know I have this little place to turn to. Fairysue, I pray your family gets more positve results.

MandMs

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shamrocks! Posted: 03-24-08 07:47am


I'm very sorry! The informations you wrote, miss something to be more precious. But, I'll try to clear it as I can. Mediastinum is a area of the thorax that lies between the lungs and here are situated all organs of chest cavity (the heart, the aorta, the thymus gland, the chest portion of the trachea, the esophagus, lymph nodes and important nerves.) The right parathratheal mass...probably, is considered for group of lymph nodes around the point where the windpipe branches into the left and right bronchi, lymph nodes affected by cancer cells. Right hilum is entering of lung where bronchi and blood vessels enter the lung and here are located lymph nodes that can have metastasis. Nodes lying anterior and lateral to the ascending aorta and the aortic arch (parts of aorta located in mediastinum) are known as para-aortic lymph nodes and the cancer cells can spread to them causing their enlargement. Don't take this as a definitive explanation. I'm just talking about possible meaning of your words. Thinking of you! Marija

shamrocks

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Posted: 03-25-08 01:29am


Well we have an offical name of said cancer...drum roll please << yes ladies I am looking to find the humor in this>>> Adenocarcinoma.And it is a NSLC. But at a very late stage to where it has hit the lymph nodes, as you confirmed in the explanation. She sees an ocologist on the 3rd of April. More tests..one for the lung and bone scan to see if it's in the bones.And all this time to just grows and grows.. I see my Mom struggling to accept this fate.We are holding back information,such as he told me 6-12 months of life left at this point.HOW do you tell your Mom that? THANK YOU Marija for your information. you are a cyber blessing.

MandMs

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Posted: 03-31-08 03:09am


I'm really, really sorry for your mum! (You are welcome always and I'm praying for blessings for you, your mum and your family!) Lung cancers, usually, don't manifest with symptoms till more advanced stage. That's why their prognosis is worse than other cancer diseases. Most cases of adenocarcinoma are associated with smoking. Did the doctors make lung cancer staging or they'll make an assessment of the degree of spread of the cancer from its original source, after having results from the bone scan?