Do I have lung cancer?

[JennErin]

I am a 30 yr old female 4'11'' and about 185lbs.  About 2 months ago I experienced sharp pains in the area of my heart and numbness in my left arm.  Went to the ER.  Had EKG, blood work, and X-rays performed and all came back normal.  The pain seemed to subside after that.

In the past week I have been experiencing a much faster than normal heart rate (about 82-87 bpm).  Then the last 2 days I have been feeling  short of breathe.  Like I need to take a deep breathe every so often to catch up with my breathing.  Also the sharp pain seems to be back again

I was a smoker of about 1/2 a pack a day for 15yrs recently quit 5 months ago.  I am also under a great deal of stress.  (Moving in 2 months, in a child custody dispute with my sons father)  Please help me.  What is wrong with me?  Should I be going back to the ER again?  Is there something wrong? Do you think this is cause to think I have lung cancer?  Any help is greatly appreciated.

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

Hi Lynsey,
I am not sure I fully understand your question, but I will attempt to outline the way modern oncology practice deals with cancer.
When a patient presents with a cancer (say a lung cancer), the initial approach is to confirm the diagnosis of cancer, determine the histologic subtype, and accurately stage the disease.
Next, the most appropriate form of therapy is offered. Broadly, it consists of either local/regional treatment (like surgery and radiation therapy) or systemic therapy (like chemotherapy, targeted therapy etc). The concept is that surgery and radiation remove cancer cells at the main site of occurrence and in the draining lymph nodes. Chemotherapy is given to kill any possible sites of distant spread ("micro-metastases") that are not yet visible on CT scans or other imaging. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are both effective in killing cancer cells in many clinical situations.
In other cancers, many other approaches have been tried. For example in ER positive breast cancer, hormonal therapy (tamoxifen, anastrazole, letrozole etc) is effective; in metastatic renal cell cancer, immunotherapy (interleukins, interferons) is used; in metastatic colorectal cancer, anti blood proliferating antibodies (Avastin) are used. Progress in cancer therapy has been quite impressive in the last couple of decades.
Best Regards, and God Bless!

[Lynsey163]

Can you please explain to me,  when a patient is diagnosed with cancer the only line of defense( other than surgery if possible), is chemo or radiation, when we all know that it doesn't kill cancer, why is there no other treatments offered? Thanks Lynsey.

[Lynsey163]

Hi if I were you I would be wanting the test done again, these symptoms don't just happen without a reason, it might just be as simple as anxiety, it appears you have quite a bit happening in your life which seems quite stressful, better to be safe than sorry. All the best Lynsey.

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

Hi,
From your history and symptoms, it seems to me that you are unlikely to have lung cancer. Your X-rays were normal 2 months ago, which is reassuring.
You are under stress, and may also be having acid reflux. These two reasons are more likely to be the culprits in your case.
It is really good that you have given up smoking. Please maintain this at all costs.
You should consult your internist if you continue to have symptoms. Also, relaxation techniques like yoga may benefit you.
All the best, and God Bless!