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Worried about possible chest lesion. Please help.
Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone has experience of something similar and could give me some advice. A couple of weeks ago I was admitted to hospital for a night because I had a dull ache in the right of my chest (really very minor) and when they tested my blood my d-dimer came back at 978. They were worried I could have PE, although I was breathing fine and had no other symptoms so they ran a chest CT and it showed no PE but a 'rather angular' area of soft tissue at the base of my right hilum, about 3cm in diameter. They say it's probably just a cluster of nodules and tissue but that they cannot rule out a potentially significant lesion. They said I should have another CT in 2-3 months time. I'm just worried in case it is significant and whether waiting that long is a good idea if so. I am a 44 year old female former smoker. I quit about ten years ago but smoked about 20 a day for around 15 years. My father and my grandmother both died of cancer (though nothing lung related). Can anyone give me any advice? I am trying not to worry but it's proving quite hard. I still have the slight ache in my chest. Thank you for your help.
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Thank you so much for responding Dr Mathur. I really appreciate it. I saw my GP today and now have further scans booked at an appointment with a thoracic specialist next month. I feel much better about it because I know I am doing whatever I can. Thank you so much for your help.
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An elevated D-dimer test apart from indicating a clot in the body could also be high due to any condition that increases fibrin content in the body such as recent surgery, trauma, infection, liver disease (cause clotting factor abnormalities and raise d-dimer test), heart disease, and some cancers.
Only a PET scan can rule out cancer. SO, if one is not sure of the lesion and it appears suspicious of cancer then a PET should be done. If it is an ambiguous mass which could be an inflammatory lymph node then the doctors may wait and watch. So, please discuss this.
Meanwhile all other causes which can raise the D-dimer should be tested. Take care!
The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.