Multifocal Adenocarcinoma of the lung, continual recurrences

Posted by Merry, Alumni Mentor @merpreb, Dec 11, 2018

We have multifocal adenocarcinoma of the lung. @linda10 and @sakota.- Please join me in this discussion.

For a short explanation of this tongue twister. Briefly, Multifocal Adenocarcinoma (MAC) of the lung is a clinical entity of multiple synchronous (less than 6 months) or metachronous (more than 6 months), often ground-glass opacities (GGO) on CT scan, typically indolent-behaving cancers. There is a scarce amt of clinical data to guide treatment decisions.
This came from http://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2017.35.15_suppl.e20041.

This means that more than one potential cancerous lesion, mostly ground glass, shows up at a time. For instance I had 3 cancerous lesions 10 years ago in my left lung and in the same area. They were all different sizes. They grow at different rates.

Multifocal adenocarcinoma is a very complex cancer because the medical profession doesn't know if the ground glass lesions are the primary cancer or small metastases of another primary cancer. They don't even know where they start..

Multifocal Adenocarcinoma has sub types and it's management is based on whether it's indolent or very virulent.

These are very simplistic explanations. Even doctors are confused by it and it's only been within the last twenty years that they have separated it from a Bronchioloalveolar Carcinoma (BAC).

The constant recurrences are the buggers. Not only do we have to constantly face lots of CT scans but when lung cells change, which they often do, we are in terror of another virulent cancer. I presently have several ground glass lesions. And I have had many that have disappeared. It's enough to drive you nuts and PTSD is exacerbated by the frequency of these devils.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Cancer Support Group.

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 13, 2019

In reply to @meka "Some of it is my knee, but think most is from tension for so many days..." + (show)

Good morning @meka- I get like that too form tension. You have more tests tomorrow.

sakota9 (Joan) | @sakota | Jan 13, 2019

@merpreb Hi Merry, I am going over to Mayo the end of February to see the pulmonologist and cardiologist. So today am getting dr reports together from here and I reread by ct scan report in December. This was a statement in there, can you explain it to me?? "multiple pulmonary nodules, some exhibiting a subsolid morphology, including a 12 x 6 mm left lower lobe subsolid nodule on image.....and under impression: it said" multiple pulmonary nodules are stable, several suggesting multicentric synchronous indolent primary lung cancers"

My mind is going in overdrive today for some reason. Thanks Merry and if anyone else wants to add their input that would be great...….. Am I worrying over nothing...

meka | @meka | Jan 13, 2019

In reply to @merpreb "Good morning @meka- I get like that too form tension. You have more tests tomorrow." + (show)

CT, SW, evaluation. My Vet Center counselor set up for Social Worker consult because she knows I'm alone and might just go to default mode before day is done.

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 13, 2019

@sakota. Is this report similar to your last CT scan? Multi suggest more than one and the phrase stable means to me that you've had them and that they are unchanged
Multi centric describes primarie that aren't growing.
Just to remind you I am not a medical professional in any way or means. When I see words in a medical report that I don't know I look up every single one and try and make some Sense of them. I did this with what you quoted me so I only gave my impressions.
It might be that the nodules aren't totally ground glass but a bit different. I don't know how.

linda10 | @linda10 | Jan 13, 2019

In reply to @sakota "@merpreb Hi Merry, I am going over to Mayo the end of February to see the..." + (show)

multicentric Medspeak
adjective Referring to that which occurs in many sites in the body, as in a multicentric malignancy; in general, multifocal is preferred.
Sakota I think this is just another way of saying multifocal.

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 13, 2019

In reply to @linda10 "multicentric Medspeak adjective Referring to that which occurs in many sites in the body, as in..." + (show)

Linda10. I believe it means more than one center. It's seen in breast cancer too. Beyond this @sakota you'll need to ask your doctor. And my recommendation is that you do talk with your team before you have anything else done so that you can understand everything. Knowledg is power and this way you can make informed decisions.

sakota9 (Joan) | @sakota | Jan 13, 2019

You lost me who decided to work. With. Me and who is or what is cw

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 13, 2019

Sakota- I must have sent this to you by mistake. Oopps sorry

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 13, 2019

In reply to @meka "CT, SW, evaluation. My Vet Center counselor set up for Social Worker consult because she knows..." + (show)

@meka- What is SW? So your counselor has decided to work with you! Fingers crossed!

meka | @meka | Jan 13, 2019

In reply to @merpreb "@meka- What is SW? So your counselor has decided to work with you! Fingers crossed!" + (show)

Social Worker here, my Vet Center counselor has always been great, she set up for a counselor here. Adrienne is her name!!

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