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Is a Spiculated lung nodule always malignant?
Lung Health | Last Active: Nov 7 12:13pm | Replies (129)Comment receiving replies
I am confused as well. I was under the impression that the earlier its found, the better your chances of beating it. My CT from Sept: IMPRESSION:
1. Dominant nodule within the medial aspect of the superior segment of the right lower lobe measures 2.8 x 1.8 x 2.2 cm. Subpleural nodule within the lateral right lower lobe measures 16 x 8 x 13 mm. Neoplasm cannot be excluded.
PET SCAN: 1. Right lower lobe pulmonary nodule with a small cavitation shows a focal moderate/intense uptake of 8.2 SUV. Also pleural-based density in the right lateral lower lobe demonstrate moderate focal uptake of 4.8 SUV. Findings are concerning for malignant/metastatic disease.
With that... they still said "lets do another CT in a few months." When I saw my pulmonologist in January, he brought in his boss and she is the one who said the dominant one is spiculated. I havent seen that word in my results. The size of the nodules and the SUV uptake numbers have had me concerned. As well as the fact that everything under the sun has been ruled out. I have a rib that is in almost constant pain (from front to back), I cough all the time, very short of breathe, Ive lost 40 pounds and Im extremely tired all the time. Matter of fact, Im on 2 liters of O2 due to my levels dropping down to 82 during a 6 min walk test, twice now. Its crazy!!! There is something in MY lung that shouldnt be there and no matter how hard he has tried, it simply cannot be blamed on inflammation or infection. I dont understand with all those symptoms, why a doctor would WANT to wait.
Replies to "I am confused as well. I was under the impression that the earlier its found, the..."
Wow. That really doesn't seem right. With a size of 2.8x1.8x2.2 cm, they should have acted right away and performed a biopsy, especially if the lung nodule had spiculated characteristics. In addition to the increased SUV uptake and your symptoms, they should not have waited at all. It’s always about early detection, but when they find suspicious findings, they still expect us to just wait and do nothing. I bet if they themselves were affected with such findings, they wouldn't be so careless and would be much more proactive.
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@shellyrenee, With the symptoms that you are having, and the CT and PET results, you certainly sound like you need treatment. The weight loss and the rib pain are certainly concerning as well.
Are you being seen at a medical institution that sees many cases like yours, or is it a smaller local clinic/hospital? Most experts will urge patients to be seen at a teaching hospital, or one specializing in cancer, or even specializing in thoracic oncology.
Waiting can be so hard on us, the emotions of not knowing the next steps can be overwhelming. Is it possible for you to get on a wait list for an earlier appointment with the surgeon?