fluid around lungs

[Borgs]

My mom was diagnosed with OVCA last month.  Due to some issues with the PATH reports of her lymph nodes, she isn't staged yet.  She had cancer on both her ovaries, but there was no other cancer found.  Ascites was negative, omentum, etc. was negative.  She hasn't started chemo yet because they need to stage her first.  CT just found some fluid around her lung.  Is this common after major abdominal surgery and intravenous?  I am guessing there is a chance there could be mets to the lungs, but to me it seems uncommon because there was no cancer anywhere else but the ovarian tumor itself.      

[Borgs]

Update: Mom had appointment today to aspirate and test fluid around her lungs.  Apparently the fluid disipated to an extent that they said there was no reason to safely aspirate and test, so they didn't.  We are hoping this is good news in that the fluid was there still because of the IV and the abdominal surgery, and no mets to the lungs.  She has a follow-up with the GynOnc on Friday and he will talk with her more about staging and the start of chemo.  

[Borgs]

Thanks so much for the responses.  My mom is having the lung fluid tapped tomorrow. There isn't much there, but the Dr. wants to analyze anyway.  Hoping for some good news...  

[Kimchi]

I had fluid (pleural effusion) in lung area prior to being diagnosed and caused me to have shortness of breath. Make sure if Mom gets xrayed, that she stand sideways with arms up as my lung specialist told me that fluid tends to shift and standard pose doesn't always catch the fluid. Report came back positive for ovarian cancer and after hyste was staged at 4!!! Carbo and Taxol 12 cycles so far...

[Borgs]

Thanks for your response.  It never seems to end.  We were told it was an extremely aggressive tumor.  It was the size of a soccer ball.  She will be starting chemo within the next few weeks.  However, the GYNONC she is with now didn't perform the original surgery so he wants to cross all the t's and dot i's with the extent of the cancer before chemo.  I guess this is the second opinion.  Who knows, they may start chemo w/o being able to stage her.    Best to you.  

[rmarie]

You just keep getting more bad news about your mother, with no real answers.  Did they send her pathology slides out for a second opinion?  I would ask for a good explanation on why they don't want to do any chemotherapy, they do chemo on people with a stage 1 B or C if it a aggressive type.  Ask her oncologist, you have nothing to lose.  Thinking of you and your mother, dealing with all this is very difficult, push for answers.  Marie