1. < Lung Cancer

Small lung nodule: Turned out to be cancer after 5 years monitoring

Posted by trip03 @trip03, May 2, 2022

Been following a lung nodule for about 5 years. It has been growing slowly. Reached a size of 9mm and was biopsied. Results where positive for cancer. Now what? I'm a somewhat healthy 66 year old male. Anyone been treated for a single small cancerous lung nodule?

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trip03 | @trip03 | May 4, 2022
In reply to @vic83 "Hi Merry. March CT scant says "suspicious for multifocal adenocarcinoma, no change from December". I had..." + (show)
@vic83

Hi Merry. March CT scant says "suspicious for multifocal adenocarcinoma, no change from December". I had biggest nodule removed December and that was stage 1b. And now there are four remaining (1 is entirely ground glass, 1 is entirely GG/sub-solid, 2 are part solid). Am waiting for 6 months from surgery CT-scan to see what is next. Would have needed to do needle biopsy of largest one to do radiation at 3 months and that comes with a risk so Dr wants me to wait until 6 months.

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How was it removed?

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1 reply
trip03 | @trip03 | May 4, 2022
In reply to @merpreb "I think that it's a good call from your doctor! My doctor hasn't done biopsies on..." + (show)
@merpreb

I think that it's a good call from your doctor! My doctor hasn't done biopsies on me for ages. They just zap when one enlarges (if it grows to a certain size that's usually an indication that it is probably cancer.

My next CT is July and they will most likely have to zap. But it's only my 5th cancer lesion in 14 years and my 6th in 24. Not bad! Right?

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Merry, at what size do they "zap' them? I have about 4 other small nodules on the same lobe. That is the reasoning for taking the whole lobe. Not sure I like that idea, but it's a 100 percent cure or so I'm told.

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1 reply
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | May 4, 2022
In reply to @trip03 "Merry, at what size do they "zap' them? I have about 4 other small nodules on..." + (show)
@trip03

Merry, at what size do they "zap' them? I have about 4 other small nodules on the same lobe. That is the reasoning for taking the whole lobe. Not sure I like that idea, but it's a 100 percent cure or so I'm told.

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It depends on the hospital, really because not even every CT scan is calibrated the same. My last SBRT targeted a 5MM lesion.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169500218304045

Curative lung cancers are a touchy story. It all depends on the surgeon or technician. I have had 2 SBRTs and 2 lobectomies. The suture line for my second lobectomy lit up in a PET scan. But I was also knicked in my pulmonary artery and that was messy with a lot of blood loss. So I'm not surprised. My hospital is a teaching hospital, it's in Boston. MGH (mass general).

I trust my surgeon to do the absolute best that he can for me so that I will not have any returning cancer. But even he isn't God, as much as I think of him as such. He has been my doctor for 25 years this year and for 25 years with my first cancer being a very fast-growing adenocarcinoma that was caught early.

I wish that I could advise you about lobectomies. How long do you think that you will play around waiting for a certain size?

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2 replies
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | May 4, 2022
In reply to @vic83 "Hi Merry. March CT scant says "suspicious for multifocal adenocarcinoma, no change from December". I had..." + (show)
@vic83

Hi Merry. March CT scant says "suspicious for multifocal adenocarcinoma, no change from December". I had biggest nodule removed December and that was stage 1b. And now there are four remaining (1 is entirely ground glass, 1 is entirely GG/sub-solid, 2 are part solid). Am waiting for 6 months from surgery CT-scan to see what is next. Would have needed to do needle biopsy of largest one to do radiation at 3 months and that comes with a risk so Dr wants me to wait until 6 months.

Jump to this post

The reason that biopsies are done is to find out if a lesion is cancerous or not. If I decide to have SBRT done they don't do a biopsy because the lesion is killed so it doesn't make any difference if it was cancerous or not. But it had grown so that says it all and also it wasn't pure GG. The one I have now that is growing is also pure GG so it depends on any changes that show up, if any, in July as to what is done, if anything.

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marye2 | @marye2 | May 4, 2022
In reply to @vic83 "Hi Merry. March CT scant says "suspicious for multifocal adenocarcinoma, no change from December". I had..." + (show)
@vic83

Hi Merry. March CT scant says "suspicious for multifocal adenocarcinoma, no change from December". I had biggest nodule removed December and that was stage 1b. And now there are four remaining (1 is entirely ground glass, 1 is entirely GG/sub-solid, 2 are part solid). Am waiting for 6 months from surgery CT-scan to see what is next. Would have needed to do needle biopsy of largest one to do radiation at 3 months and that comes with a risk so Dr wants me to wait until 6 months.

Jump to this post

I had the same dilemma with the biopsy. My one bad one is a ground glass, which has a lacey edge, so is not useful to biopsy at this time. Might be also due to size. I am on the six month followup trail, too. I also have thyroid nodules and had an easy needle biopsy of that at a local pathology group office.

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trip03 | @trip03 | May 4, 2022
In reply to @merpreb "It depends on the hospital, really because not even every CT scan is calibrated the same...." + (show)
@merpreb

It depends on the hospital, really because not even every CT scan is calibrated the same. My last SBRT targeted a 5MM lesion.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169500218304045

Curative lung cancers are a touchy story. It all depends on the surgeon or technician. I have had 2 SBRTs and 2 lobectomies. The suture line for my second lobectomy lit up in a PET scan. But I was also knicked in my pulmonary artery and that was messy with a lot of blood loss. So I'm not surprised. My hospital is a teaching hospital, it's in Boston. MGH (mass general).

I trust my surgeon to do the absolute best that he can for me so that I will not have any returning cancer. But even he isn't God, as much as I think of him as such. He has been my doctor for 25 years this year and for 25 years with my first cancer being a very fast-growing adenocarcinoma that was caught early.

I wish that I could advise you about lobectomies. How long do you think that you will play around waiting for a certain size?

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I don't plan on waiting at all. On Monday I'm having a suspicious bone lesion removed from my shoulder. If it's benign then we will proceed. If it is cancerous then I guess it's a whole new ball game. I was just going back an forth on radiation vs surgery, since I have the options.

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2 replies
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | May 5, 2022
In reply to @trip03 "I don't plan on waiting at all. On Monday I'm having a suspicious bone lesion removed..." + (show)
@trip03

I don't plan on waiting at all. On Monday I'm having a suspicious bone lesion removed from my shoulder. If it's benign then we will proceed. If it is cancerous then I guess it's a whole new ball game. I was just going back an forth on radiation vs surgery, since I have the options.

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I wish you the best of luck with Monday's procedure. Not a peaceful time for you!

If I had to make a decision with your situation would you like to know what I would do? (This, is of course if the biopsy is clean-no cancer.)

Can you write down the pros and cons for both radiation and surgery and see if that helps with decision-making?

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trip03 | @trip03 | May 5, 2022

I'd love to know your thoughts.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | May 13, 2022
In reply to @trip03 "I don't plan on waiting at all. On Monday I'm having a suspicious bone lesion removed..." + (show)
@trip03

I don't plan on waiting at all. On Monday I'm having a suspicious bone lesion removed from my shoulder. If it's benign then we will proceed. If it is cancerous then I guess it's a whole new ball game. I was just going back an forth on radiation vs surgery, since I have the options.

Jump to this post

Hi @trip03, I wanted to check back in with you to see how things are going. What were the results of the bone lesion from your shoulder? Do you know if the lung nodule is lung cancer or what type? Would love an update.

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