Adenocarcinoma

@blue717 , Hi there, I just wanted to welcome you to the group, we are all here to help others and receive it when needed. I’m sorry that you’re going through this frightening experience and I know exactly how hard this can be, it’s overwhelming for sure but you’re with people who have been through this and hopefully can give you some comfort and peace of mind. I’m also 75 and I was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020, it was in the upper left lobe, I too was scared to death but I’m still here six years later amen. I had a lobectomy which entails removing the lobe completely, being video assisted it minimized the procedure and usually discharged in 3 days to recover, thankfully nothing else was required. It’s very early stage that you have because the nodule is so small, you can’t beat early detection so you’re in a good position, you’re doctors will run the tests needed and determine what is best for your treatment and recovery. I want to say try not to worry too much but I’d be lying, it’s hard not to but you will be fine once you know everything and begin to feel grounded again, please stay connected and ask as many questions you need to feel safe, best wishes and God bless you.

hi @blue717 - it's tough news, but I'm glad you found us! as far as next steps, your dr should run biomarker testing to determine what genetic mutations your cancer might have. usually they have to send that to a special lab and it takes a couple weeks. but that helps them know what treatments would be most effective. if you haven't had a full body PET scan and brain MRI, they'll do those, too, to check if the cancer is anywhere else in your body. that's part of staging. the treatment for a single small tumor is usually surgery. but your team will consider your specific type of cancer and your overall health and determine the best treatment plan for you. as @frouke mentioned - it's really good that it was caught early. hugs!

Hey @blue717, I was 71 when a 3.2 cm mass was found incidentally. I sure understand your anxiety about "what's next?". I was able to see the results of the biopsy and the genetic testing online. I can't tell you how finding this group has helped me get through the ordeal. For me, the waiting was the worst. I believe they test for the most common gene mutation. If it's not a positive, they test for the next most common and so on. I had to wait a long time bc my gene mutation was more rare than others. The thing that got me through the ordeal, was "living with gratitude". I was so grateful the mass was found early. Grateful for the amazing medical care offered to me. I had one of the latest types of surgery called robot assisted thoracic surgery, aka RATS. It's only been available here for 2 yrs. I was grateful for the love and support I had from both of my 2 adult kids and my husband. It's easy to fall into an anxiety, stressful hole. When I started to do that, I remembered about "living with gratitude" was what I needed. Please keep us posted, or continue to ask questions you have. I was a "never smoker", so the lung cancer diagnosis was a real shock to me.