Staying (Lung) Safe this Holiday Season

FYI, Mayo Clinic posted new specialty group to Lung Cancer Program
Multifocal Lung Cancer Specialty Group
Overview
Multifocal lung cancer is a complex condition where more than one spot of lung cancer is present. Each of these spots could represent an individual cancer that is independent of the other spots in the lungs. Or, alternatively, the spots could mean a singular lung cancer has spread. The detection of multifocal lung cancer has increased with the use of low-dose CT scans for lung cancer screening and CT scans ordered for other conditions.
Because the condition is so complex, the Mayo Clinic multifocal lung cancer specialty group uses a team-based approach for treatment. This team often consists of radiologists, pathologists, pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. Together, the team will evaluate your specific condition and build a treatment plan tailored to your needs. For instance, your team may recommend surgery, radiation, ablation, chemotherapy or a combination of these based on a wide variety of factors, including the number of lesions, their location and their relatedness to one another.
Feb 11, 2022
https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/multifocal-lung-cancer-specialty-group/overview/ovc-20474869

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Thanks for the information. My wife was recently diagnosed with solid mass & lesions in both lungs and secondary malignant lesions in liver & spinal column. We have applied for an appointment at Mayo - Jacksonville and will hopefully be accepted.

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Hi there, So I finally had my wedge resection with ample margins for. According to pathology report module was pt1b , negative for lymph node involvement. Although only afew stations were checked 7, 4Runner, 4 L. I’m feeling worried cause I’m reading that 10 lymph nodes at least should be checked according to many trials to ensure accurate staging.Plus my report mentions Stas spread through airspace and says its present. I’m not sure to what extent.I think my surgeon said “ is Stas even proven “? From what I see it is proven some believe it could be artifact from knife cutting n spreading the cells.Im reading that if Stas is present wedge resection is not optimal. Stas has a poor prognostic and if Lobectomy is completed Stas doesn’t carry its weight and seems to have no affect on overall survival. My question is has anyone else had Stas present on surgical biopsy if so did you have a Lobectomy. Thanks, lilly

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Hi there, So I finally had my wedge resection with ample margins for. According to pathology report module was pt1b , negative for lymph node involvement. Although only afew stations were checked 7, 4Runner, 4 L. I’m feeling worried cause I’m reading that 10 lymph nodes at least should be checked according to many trials to ensure accurate staging.Plus my report mentions Stas spread through airspace and says its present. I’m not sure to what extent.I think my surgeon said “ is Stas even proven “? From what I see it is proven some believe it could be artifact from knife cutting n spreading the cells.Im reading that if Stas is present wedge resection is not optimal. Stas has a poor prognostic and if Lobectomy is completed Stas doesn’t carry its weight and seems to have no affect on overall survival. My question is has anyone else had Stas present on surgical biopsy if so did you have a Lobectomy. Thanks, lilly

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@ Lilly correction 4 left

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Hi Lilly- WOW, you've certainly done a good job researching your cancer. It can be pretty confusing, eh? Personally, I have never heard of STAS so I did my own research. Do you know how many things have STAS as their acronym?

I found this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7354155/

I also found this study done pretty recently 2020. It has a more positive consideration for future surgery and results:
https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-020-07200-w

It's my feeling that a comprehensive conversation should take place concerning possible treatments at this stage, having DNA testing to see what anomalies there are and your next tests. If your present doctor doubts the existence of a particular finding and you don't feel this way I would get a second opinion!

At this point that may already have happened?

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@colleenyoung Oh my gosh. My lungs are so reactive to fragrances. Man made fragrances travel in the air because of chemicals like phalates that cause their dispersal and it may partly be these chemicals that are causing serious asthma reactions. It takes only minutes of exposure to cologne when my airway starts to swell and my lungs start kicking out a lot phlegm. I get very tired and get a severe headache because my oxygen levels are dropping. I can't think clearly and I feel like I'm drowning. I start struggling to breathe and begin to try to get more air by accessory breathing which elevates the first ribs. That causes other problems because I used my neck muscles to pull the ribs upward and it aggravates my thoracic outlet syndrome condition and it gets stuck there causing a spasm with chest and neck pain. When my asthma is bad enough, I can't stay awake long enough to use an inhaler to try to save myself. Even if the exposure was only for a few minutes, and I have removed myself from the area, in about an hour, I am going to have a buildup of phlegm in my lungs and will still go through the symptoms of excessive fatigue and a bad headache. It may take me several hours to clear the phlegm buildup and recover after an event like this before I can breathe normally again and the headache subsides.

At home, I do not use cleaning products or soaps with heavy fragrances. Even exposure to other people wearing clothing that was washed in a heavy fragrance laundry detergent causes breathing problems for me if I can't get away from it. The natural fragrances used in dish soap does not bother me.

Natural fragrances are not as bad for me. I do know that I am allergic to pine terpenes that create the pine smell. I can walk past holiday wreaths without having an adverse event if I don't linger. Natural boughs will also harbor other allergens like mold spores or dust so I resist the urge to smell them because those would also trigger my allergic asthma. If I was inside a home with a real Christmas tree, I would have a headache and some breathing issues. Then there are scented candles and stuff squirting scents into the air. I cannot stay in an environment like that because I will be headed for an asthma attack.

I avoid stores with fragrance counters. The laundry detergent aisles are a big problem. I hold my breath as I walk past them. Hardware stores aisles with fertilizer and weed & insect killers also trigger my asthma. I try to get in and out of stores like that as fast as possible.

I wish people could understand what it is like to experience a serious problem caused by fragrances on other people and in public spaces. They have a misconception about the consequences of their habits and think it is harmless. In reality it is toxic, and some individuals are so sensitive to it that is causes a serious reaction. I also find that exposure to fragrances in public causes the scent to be absorbed into my clothing, and I have to change clothes to get rid of it so I can stop reacting to it. So I carry this problem around with me until I can get home to change.

We also had these other discussions regarding fragrances and lung health.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/heavy-perfume-in-medical-facilities-or-anywhere-really/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/fragrances-and-asthma-allergies/

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