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Avatar universal

New & very frightened

I'm trying to get some opinions of a recent finding. FYI: I'm a 58 year old male former smoker, but quit 5 years ago.
I had a follow-up CT scan done last week and saw the Pulmonoligist today. The Radiologist written findings were as follows: An irregular 20 X 19 X 18 mm medial right upper lobe mass has developed closely associated with the suprahilar region. This is highly suspicious for neoplastic disease. Associated with this lesion is a second mass which is suprahilar in location & does extend into the mediastinum, and again this is most likely a neoplasm & this component measures 33 X 24 X 24 mm & irregular. This most likely represents a malignant bronchogenic neoplasm, however a PET scan is recommended for further investigation.
The Pulmonologist recommends surgery to remove & immediately sent me over to a Thoracic surgeon. The surgeon recommends a bone scan, PET scan & breathing function test be done prior to surgery. The breathing function test he says will determine how much of the lung can be removed safely. I can say that I had a breathing function test done about a year ago & it only showed I had about 53% lung function. This is obviously due to my prior years of smoking.
Has anyone else been through this & can offer any words of encouragement? Right now this has hit me hard & quick & I don't mind saying I'm scared out of my mind. It just seems that everyone is moving so fast! I'm highly considering getting another opinion from an actual cancer center like MD Anderson in Houston. The Dr. here did say it's slightly possible (20%) it's not cancer, but most likely is. I'd appreciate any feedback..

Thanks,

Ken
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Avatar universal
There is nowhere better than MD Anderson--nowhere.  You will not have to second guess their input, either, or act on sometimes erring input on these websites (I refer to one poster who said that malignancies are never small?!?!, which is outrageous.  The magic and life-saving goal of the CT scan is to detect small lesions when they're still exciseable.  X-rays notoriously miss the smaller lesions.

MD Anderson has outcomes that no other institution has, and the are nicer than the folks at Sloane-Kettering.

Good luck!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just remember, this helped me out a LOT when i quit smoking and had a real bad episode of paranoia about cancer, that if it does go bad, death is not any sort of ending... it is the passage and beginning to a new life, if you believe in yourself and if you take that to heart you will feel 150% better about everything, it helped me out!

Good luck!
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Avatar universal
Yes, I do have my wife here who will be with me during all of this. You are correct, there was no official diagnosis of cancer, but the wording from the results of the CT scan seem pretty grim. The Pulmonoligist recommended me seeing the Thoracic Surgeon because he agreed with the CT findings when he saw the CD. That Surgeon recommended the tests that I metioned above before doing anything.
I have been set up with MD Anderson & will be going next week. So far they have only set up a PFT the 1st day & a PET scan the 2nd. Everyone has told me they are the best, so I'm putting my outcome in their hands.
ipnotica: I have sent you a personal message also.

Ken
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm very sorry you're having to go through this. It's a lot to deal with and it's very scary, so it can be hard to think clearly.  You hear the word "cancer" and  then everything after that is like a blur.  Do you have a family member or a close friend who can help you through this?

At this point, you haven't had a PET scan or biopsy, so cancer isn't confirmed, am I right? I can't imagine that they would do surgery before a diagnosis is made.  If it does turn out to be lung cancer, the fact that they recommended surgery is a good sign.    

I think it's always a good idea to get a second opinion, and MD Anderson has a good reputation.  Feel free to send me a personal message if you'd like more info.

Take care and good luck

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