hilan mass

[mac59]

hi, i am 48 male 2 pack a day smoker 30 + years. quit 10 weeks ago, got pnemonia 10 weeks ago & chest x-ray which was abnormal doctor ordered ct scan to be done 8 weeks after x-ray, got results today also abnormal ( hilan mass ) now he is recommending biopsy, have an appointment with pulmonologist in 2 weeks. did not think to ask the size of mass.

sure wish that i had never smoked dah, common sense tells me that this is probaly lung cancer certainly worried.

doesn't 2 weeks seem like a long time? also curious if pet scan wupld be better choice.

any thoughts/experience/advice?

thanks in advance. mac

[mac59]

mass / nodule / spot  there must a definition but i dont know it sorry. ct is a peice of cake good luck.

does anyone know the odds of false positives on ct scans. and if so does a mass / nodule change these odds? also what is the difference between a hilan and hilar mass?

thanks

[jollie54]

my dr. is sending me for a ct scan tomorrow- a chest xray showed a mass in my lung. what's the difference in a mass & a spot?

[TheExModel]

I dont know you, but i read your worries and it made me alittle sad to think of you there witht hat worry.. So just well done for not smoking, that great you gave up for 10weeks.. Im 31 had smoked 1half pack for 15years and it was hard when i quit, so you must be strong...
Good luck with your results... Im hoping for you

[mac59]

thank you

[HeinrikMD]

Hi,

People who are found to have nodules in the lung which may be cancer are generally screened over a period of 3 months.

This period is based on the observation that doing a repeat scan within a month's time will not likely show a significant change.

It would of course be great if you could get an appointment sooner, primarily to allay your anxieties. If you do have other symptoms, it may be best to see the doctor earlier.

The PET scan is most useful for those people who have lung cancer and who are surgical candidates. This is because, there is a need in this scenario to eliminate the possibility of disease outside of the chest (imagine going under the knife with an open chest and there was cancer elsewhere).

I think the important issue now is the capability to do the biopsy, so the lesion is probably large enough for this to be technically feasible. In this regard, the PET may not give any additional information.