Spiculated carcenoma

My best friend has just been told that she has lung cancer. She has lupus and they though initially that she had pluritis due to the lupus, then they suspected pluritis and pneumonia. When the antibiotics had no effect they did an X-ray and then a CT scan which is showing a spiculated carcenoma. The doctor is scheduling a biopsy next for her. Because she has lupus, is bipolar and has a few other autoimmune diseases, I'm concerned about the outcome of this. We don't know what stage this is at yet, impossible to tell by symptoms in a person as ill as she is. She is a smoker but as of yesterday has quite (never smoked alot but still smoked). Any advice/information you can pass on would be greatly appreciated. This is a very complicated situation (she also has a suicidal 16 year old daughter, only child, who overdosed(but is OK now) the night before she received this information).

Thankyou in advance.

[Kamal S Saini, MD, MRCP (UK), DM]

Hi,
I am sorry to hear of your friends medical and social problems.
The first thing to do is to ascertain the diagnosis (biopsy or FNAC will determine this). If cancer is confirmed, the next step is to determine the type of cancer (lung cancers are broadly classified into small cell and non-small cell types), the stage of the disease, and if it is at all operable or not. A whole body PET-CT is one way of quickly staging the disease.
After these parameters are determined, the patient and care givers should discuss all options, prognosis etc with the team of treating doctors to decide the best course of action.
Please continue to reinforce to your friend the importance of abstaining from smoking. Also, please organize all possible medical and social support for your friends daughter.
Please feel free to ask additional questions if you need more information or advice.
All the best, and God Bless.

[Wonka622]

Thankyou for your reply. I was wondering if you could give me more information on why she should abstain from smoking. I know this seems obvious to you and me, but she has been reading alot on the internet and is feeling like there is no hope. Her comment to me was; What does it matter? I'd like to give her more information that just stop smoking considering her state of mind.

[Kamal S Saini, MD, MRCP (UK), DM]

Hi,

Please read this article called "Smoking and Lupus: A Double Whammy" available at:
http://www.lupus.org/education/articles/smoking.html

Quitting smoking also reduces chances of stroke and other cardiac and respiratory diseases.

Association of smoking with lung cancer is of course well known.

Has the spiculated mass been biopsied? If so, what was the result?

All the best!