3 mm spot on lung

[mdr000069]

I had a CT scan done by my pulminary doctor and they found a 3 mm spot on my lung. I am a 49 yo male, x- smoker. He told me to wait 6 months and do another scan and to try not to worry to much. Well am very nervous and worry alot about it. Does 6 months sound like the norm for a CT scan with a spot this size?  

[bymaryland]

thank you very much for the imput. My fears have lessen somewhat.

[HeinrikMD]

Hi,

If it has been 30 years since the breast cancer, then the new finding in the lung may be more likely unrelated to it. While there are reports of breast cancer recurrences 20 years after, these are quite few.

The family history of other cancers may indeed increase your chance of getting another cancer. There are known families with breast cancer. An association between lymphoma and breast cancer usually occurs among women with lymphoma receiving radiation to the chest having an increased risk of subsequent breast cancer. This would be more often seen in Hodgkin’s lymphoma not in Burkitt lymphoma.

Based on the size of the nodule and your smoking status, the lung finding is probably benign. Proof of its status however, is usually through stability observed with subsequent monitoring intervals.

Keep your spirits up. In all likelihood this is all an incidental finding, all part of technology seeing both the important and the unimportant.

[bymaryland]

hi,  I am a 58 yr old female and have a history of breast cancer, left breast was removed and then I had reconstruction done. I also have a family of cancer with my father (deceased and two sisters who is deceased from breast cancer and a cancer called burketts lymphoma).  I  was diagnosed with a 3mm spot on lung and i had a ct scan with contrast done. I am waiting for another appt in June to have an xray without the contrast done I guess to make sure what it is. I am a litte nervous but I am trying not to worry. Could it be that a cancer is showing up. I don't smoke at all and I don't drink. I feel quite healthy. It has been over 30 years since I have had the cancer.

[mdr000069]

Hi ,

I would like to first say thanks for writing, you have already told me more than my own doctor did. I quit smoking 4 years ago. I was mostly a social smoker, not everyday, but I know this was still not good to do.

[HeinrikMD]

Hi,

The interval between the scans is a balance between the benefit of detecting a suspicion nodule and intervening while early, and the risk of the radiation required for the imaging may be contributory to cancer development.

3 mm is pretty small. Even the most aggressive cancers tend to show no growth within a month or so, usual intervals for nodules more than a centimeter would be about 3 months. For your case therefore, 6 months is a reasonable interval.

When did you quit smoking?