12 mm Spiculated Nodule upper right lobe
May 2022- they found an incidental nodule in my right upper lobe. The CT impression said 8 mm ground-glass could be a low-grade malignancy. A month later, I had another CT which said that there was no significant interval change 6 mm upper lobe pulmonary nodule.
July 2023-I had a follow up CT scan. Impression 12x7 mm slightly spiculated. Malignancy cannot be excluded. I was referred to a thoracic surgeon who also couldn’t rule out cancer and said that it would be very difficult to get a biopsy because of the location. The test could come back negative, but they wouldn’t be sure that they really got it from the right area. He recommended removing it and biopsy it. Probably a partial lobectomy but he wouldn’t know for sure till he got in there. He could end up removing the entire upper lobe. Does anyone have experience with this? I decided to wait.
February 2024--I just had another CT scan about 2 weeks ago. 1.2 x 0.7 x 0.8 cm spiculated nodule in the right upper lobe not significantly changed since July 2023 but has increased in size since May 2022. This nodule remains suspicious, and PET/CT may be considered for further evaluation.
I’m having a PET/CT scan done next week. I’m so scared about everything. Most people say, just have it removed. Is this really the best option? What will the PET/CT scan show. How long does it take to get back to “normal” after having a surgery like this? It would be a minimally invasive procedure.
Also, I’m reading that there is a much higher chance of it being malignant when it’s found in the upper lobe?
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I didn’t know that likelihood was different for different lobes. BUT definitely get a PET scan. And if it indicates malignancy, see an oncologist as well. That doc will be the one that helps with ongoing monitoring, advising whether there are reliable options other than surgery, etc.
In my experience, the idea of partial lobectomy is abandoned if it is malignant. But that is just my experience. My surgeon did a wedge resection of the area with the 1.5cm tumor, kept me sedated while the pathologist confirmed malignancy, and then took the left lower lobe out.
You need to trust that your surgeon has your Good outcome at heart. If you don’t, find another one.