Lung cancer with unrelated pancreatic cancer

@kakalena, I just found your message and added it to the Lung Cancer group and the Pancreatic Cancer group. Has it been confirmed that you also have lung cancer?

It was considered confirmed that I had lung cancer in 2023when they did the biopsy on some lymph nodes in the mediastinum and saw a mass in both lungs and scattered spots . I have been receiving immunotherapy for the lung cancer for 2 years and the supposed tumors have been stable but there has been some growth in the lymph nodes. In a quarterly CT scan in October '24, they saw some areas of concern on my pancreas. I will be starting chemo for pancreas on 2/27 and hopefully, in the meantime getting a biopsy of the lung mass. I live in a rural area that has an excellent oncologist/department, but since the discovery of the pancreatic mass I have also been going to CPMC in San Francisco. It has not been determined if/when I will be having surgery.

My situation is a bit different but similar cancers. Triple negative BC 2002 right breast, lumpectomy, chemo, radiation. Ampullary cancer 2020, Whipple & chemo. Lung cancer 2023, upper left lung lobectomy, no treatment. Triple negative breast cancer left breast 2024, sentinel node and lump removal, no positive node, 6 radiation treatments. All new cancers, under surveillance for all.

This does sound familiar. Have you had a genetic test? I did, but the results showed variants of uncertain significance in the MUTYH and LZTR1 genes. Do you have cancer in your family? My father had colon cancer that moved to his lungs, but 3 siblings, nothing. Breast cancer in a maternal aunt in her 80's. Otherwise, nothing. Breast cancers were mucinous / colloid carcinomas.

I did have genetic testing, 3 different times and no genetic mutations were found although it did say I may have a predisposition for cancers. My father had throat cancer, his mother and 2 of his siblings had cancers, 2 nieces of his that I know of had colon and unknown primary, but probably gastrointestinal. My father was born in Scotland as did the others mentioned above. My brother passed away from colon cancer in 2009 and now his daughter has had a cancerous tumour removed and is pending treatment plans. I live in Canada and my radiologist in 2002 was involved in a study that tracked colon cancers across the country and it showed as you travelled from the west coast to the east cost the incidence of colon cancer increased. A higher percentage of Celtic people live in the eastern areas of Canada, made me wonder if my heritage was a reason for the many cancers. My grandfather on my mother’s side was from Ireland. I must say though that my follow ups for both lung and Whipple have been good so I’m hoping I’m done with it!

Interesting... I live in California, my maternal grandfather is from Ireland. Paternal grandfather from Canada. I have Scots, Irish, Dutch, German, Swedish and a few other Northern Eoropeans in my background.
Right now, we're trying to figure out which came first, the chicken or the egg. Did the lung lead to the pancreas or vice versa. The treatment for the lung cancer has been immunotherapy, yervoy and opdivo. Now only opdivo, but they consider it palliative, not curative since they believed the lung cancer was inoperative, both lungs and multiple lymph nodes. When the tumor on the right side was first seen in 2020, it was considered scar tissue from breast cancer radiation. I have had radiation on both breasts, 6 weeks, 10 years apart. I hope you have seen the end of your cancers. I'm still in the midst and no end in sight.

My ampullary cancer was prior to lung and only found through my ongoing surveillance for that. It was therefore caught early and very treatable. Both were adenocarcinomas and considered primary, not a spread of either the earlier breast or the ampullary. My latest breast cancer was caught very early as well through my annual mammograms. Same type of BC as 22 years prior but again a primary.

I am sorry you are going through this, it’s only when you’ve been in the middle of it that you know how debilitating a cancer diagnosis, at any stage, can be. 🙏🏻

@kakalena and @restless1763, I'm glad that you both have had care that's been successful. I'm hoping that continues for each of you. Having multiple cancers is something that none of us should have to face. I have lung cancer stage IV (2020) and breast cancer (2024). When I had some suspicious calcifications appear on a mammogram, my first instinct was to push to see if it was lung cancer that had metastasized to the breast. A biopsy proved that it was an entirely separate cancer. I'm up to two cancers on my list, and I don't need any more! 😉 Treatments are getting better and better and with that, we're living longer, allowing us enough life to develop (or find) other cancers.
@kakalena, my lung cancer was initially identified from lymph fluid. The labs that did the testing on your samples likely identified the cancers correctly, as separate, but your question is a good one for your oncologist. Have the masses in lungs changed over the past year while you were on the immunotherapy?