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New here. Guess i have lung cancer looking at my PET
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Jul 23 7:54pm | Replies (51)Comment receiving replies
Thank you. I am scheduled for broncoscopy this Thursday 6\6. He still says the biopsy is too dangerous on the big nodule so he is going to biopsy the lymph node. If that comes back negative, then we must do the biopsy. He said if it's positive, then it's chemo!! HUH!! That freaks me out. I thought they would just cut the lymph node out. Now I have to decide to take chemo or just die soon i guess. This has all grown in just 6 months so it seems very agressive. Why would he say chemo if the lymph is positive? Is that normal treatment? thanks so much!
Replies to "Thank you. I am scheduled for broncoscopy this Thursday 6\6. He still says the biopsy is..."
Hi @julie67, I need to preface this with a reminder that none of us on Mayo Connect are doctors. We speak from our own experiences and research. I agree with @denzie, removing lymph nodes is not something that is normally done for lung cancer, at least at this step. They are currently on a fact-finding mission, not a curative/treatment mission. They need to know what they are up against before taking further action. That's smart. I've had lymph nodes biopsied and resulted (while I was still under anesthesia) before the pulmonologist went deeper into the lung. Taking fluid from the lymph node is less risky.
If it is positive, I would question, "if it's positive, then it's chemo". I would ask your doctor about biomarker testing. That can provide the team with additional information about what may be driving your cancer and may allow them to better match your specific cancer to a type of treatment. All treatments, including chemo, have advanced in recent years. Also, the drugs to combat side effects have greatly improved.
Try to take things one step at a time.
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Yes. It's in the lymph nodes which means it is in a system that circulates through the entire body- usually they use the term systemic. Removing the lymph node alone will not eliminate any circulating cancer cells. Chemo is a systemic treatment that can catch those circulating cells.
You've already survived one of the most miserable things my mom experienced with her lung cancer (collapsed lung) and you came through it. You've proved that you are stronger than you know.
Chemo is not the godawful treatment it used to be. They have learned that they can have the same outcome giving patients chemo 1-3 days out of 21 instead of the 8 days of 21 they used on me 13+ years ago. They have meds that better manage nausea.