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Hi again, Lisa.
My PET scan with contrast shows a 2.7 x 1.6 mass that spans 3.3 cm when accounting for a groundglass component which is how important I don't know. No cancer seems to show up elswhere in the body, so this mass looks to be a "developing second primary of pulmonary origin" it was noted in the report , so I think it indicates it's not from my previous breast cancers from a good while ago. I smoked and have mild emphysema, too. I had a breast MRI recently with nothing there. My next step is a pulmonologist who will do a recommended biopsy of the nodule or mass. My primary told me she did the referral, but the pulmonologist got no referral, so I have to bug the primary once again. A call to a multidisciplinary center at UT also says it's booked through November!
My primary says the mass is big. (??) On a former CT w/o contrast, the mass was said to be spiculated which is not good, but on this PET scan, no mention of that, only groundglass is noted. What is groundglass, please? Next step, pursue a pulmonologist and biopsy ASAP I hope. Thank you for the support.
Replies to "Hi again, Lisa. My PET scan with contrast shows a 2.7 x 1.6 mass that spans..."
You mentioned UT in your post. Are you in TN? I'm waiting to get answers myself on nodules
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Hi @burdyblue , I agree that you shouldn't wait to see a pulmonologist until November. There may not be much (if any) growth during that time, but for your own mental health, it's best to have answers sooner.
Generally anything over 1 cm is up for discussion to be biopsied. The PET isn't usually the best scan for measurements to the mm level, so try not to get too hung up on that. The PET is looking to see if any other areas glowed on the PET, and the level of that glow (or uptake) to the nodule/s. The 'ground glass' is an area that's a bit hazy, it's not black like your healthy lung tissue, but it's not super defined like the nodule either. It can indicate a questionable area, so the radiologist noted that. It doesn't necessarily mean that it was or wasn't there on the original CT, as some radiologists are more detailed in their reports than others. The pulmonologist should be able to compare the CT and the PET, to tell you if the ground-glass area is new, or just something that wasn't noted in the CT report. It may just be your body reacting to the foreign nodule in your lung in the form of inflammation.
Don't blame yourself for smoking. Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. But we can't assume that all nodules are cancerous either. At this point, we know that there is something that needs more investigation. The waiting will be the hardest part, so I'm hoping that you can find a pulmonologist that can see you sooner. Until then, work on a list of questions for the appointment to make sure you don't miss anything in the moment. Do you have someone that can go with you too?