Growing lung nodule surgery neccessary?

[Erin2005]

I am posting this for my mom. She is 63 yrs. old. 40+ years of smoker. Recently, during a routine exam, her doctor spotted something on her right lung in her chest X-ray and ordered a CT scan. CT-scan, indeed, showed an 8 mm. nodule located in her upper right lobe positioned centrally. A following PET scan (18F-FDG) indicated a chemical activity in that nodule (SUV max: 2.49) and no spread. They decided to wait and have another CT scan 3 months later. The second scan, conducted yesterday, showed the nodule has grown 2 mm to 10 mm. Now, her doctor says she needs to have a surgery. They cannot verify whether it is cancerous or benign due to the location of the nodule. I read that lung surgery can cause certain complications, infection and bleeding, etc. Does she really need this surgery at this stage? What is riskier? Waiting or having surgery? Thank you very much! Erin

[sarah73]

My mother who is 62 and 40 years smoker has exactly the same. She has a large lump on 1 lung and small on the other and both are growing. She went through the scans and pet scan and had surgery today and removed the large lump and has been proven that it isnt cancerous! They have still got to identify what it maybe and have mentioned that it might be TB. They will then perform a biopsy on the smaller lump to rule out cancer for that one. I understand your concerns for your mom having surgery as i was petrified but touchwood i know its early days for my mom but she has come through the operation quite amazingly and she has emphasema and copd too. good luck.

[National Jewish]

An enlarging nodule in the lung of a 63 year old person, with a long history of cigarette smoking, should be presumed to be lung cancer, until proven otherwise.  It should be surgically removed.  Yes, there is a risk of serious complications with any surgical procedure but such risks, in an otherwise healthy woman, are small in comparison with the potential to achieve a cure by removal of a still-small lung cancer, in the early stages of growth.  Further testing is unwarranted.

The best way to reduce the risks of surgery is to have it performed in a good size hospital with a good reputation, where major surgery is performed every day, by a surgeon with much experience in the removal of such nodules and a record of few serious complications.  You should feel free to ask any surgeon about both, experience and complications.

Good luck.