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lung nodule
I had a ct-scan which showed a 6mm subpleural right lung lobe nodule. My doctor thinks it is probably benign. I am having a recheck ct in 3 months. I am scared because a friend of mine was just diagnosed with lung cancer. I am 33yr female in good health, non-smoker. I am worried, especially since I have two young children. Please help calm my fears. Thank you.
Dear friends,
I am a 26 year old male, in good health, however recently I have been thinking alot about the results of my chest x-ray which showed small nodules on them. My Dr hasn't said anything except that they could be anything and he is sending me for a ct scan. I have been healthly all my life, did alot of sporting events and was a cross country runner for quite a number of years. I do have asthma, but have never had anything wired show up on my x-ray. I am really worried. Base on what I researched on the net, it doesn't seem like people my age, non-smoker usually get lung cancer. I don't know how big the nodules are, or have I seen the X-ray, but my Dr did say he thinks it might be remants of TB or maybe an infection of some sort. This is really affecting me mentally as I am also in my early stages of training to be a health care professional. I am not really sure what to make of things for the time being.
I am a 26 year old male, in good health, however recently I have been thinking alot about the results of my chest x-ray which showed small nodules on them. My Dr hasn't said anything except that they could be anything and he is sending me for a ct scan. I have been healthly all my life, did alot of sporting events and was a cross country runner for quite a number of years. I do have asthma, but have never had anything wired show up on my x-ray. I am really worried. Base on what I researched on the net, it doesn't seem like people my age, non-smoker usually get lung cancer. I don't know how big the nodules are, or have I seen the X-ray, but my Dr did say he thinks it might be remants of TB or maybe an infection of some sort. This is really affecting me mentally as I am also in my early stages of training to be a health care professional. I am not really sure what to make of things for the time being.
Hi,
Its not really known if the interval of 3 vs 6 months would make a difference.
One of the more practical aspects unfortunately is technical.
If the CT scan employed is high-resolution - then the 3 months will work better because this kind of CT is able to detect smaller changes. If it is a conventional CT - there may not be any difference at all.
Another thing to consider is that a regular 3 month interval, while simple does not really allow for variations - there is a move to make the screening interval vary depending on the initial size of the tumor - this is probably the reason why the lung specialist opted to increase the interval.
Hope this post helped.
Its not really known if the interval of 3 vs 6 months would make a difference.
One of the more practical aspects unfortunately is technical.
If the CT scan employed is high-resolution - then the 3 months will work better because this kind of CT is able to detect smaller changes. If it is a conventional CT - there may not be any difference at all.
Another thing to consider is that a regular 3 month interval, while simple does not really allow for variations - there is a move to make the screening interval vary depending on the initial size of the tumor - this is probably the reason why the lung specialist opted to increase the interval.
Hope this post helped.
I was wondering how you are doing? I am hanging in there. My lung doctor has decided to do my recheck ct scan in 6 months instead of 3 months. I just worry sometimes what is going on inside my lungs. Let me know how your doctor appointment goes next week. I will be praying for you. I hope everything is going well, and you are still not smoking. Take care and keep in touch.
My lung doctor decided to do my recheck CT scan in 6 months instead of the three months, because my risk of lung cancer is low. Do you think it is okay to wait the 6 months or should I talk to my internal medicine doctor and have it done in three months. Thanks for the input.
That makes sense about the ct scan. I was just hoping that it was something else that they saw. Thank you very much for all of the information. You did not gross me out.
I am glad to hear that you are trying to stop smoking. Just keep it up!
I know how it is with waiting. I am just afraid that this tumor will grow then I don't know what is going to happen next. I just don't want anything to happen to me since my children are young (6yr and 2yr). They mean the world to me. Good luck with everything! You will be in my prayers. Keep in touch!
I know how it is with waiting. I am just afraid that this tumor will grow then I don't know what is going to happen next. I just don't want anything to happen to me since my children are young (6yr and 2yr). They mean the world to me. Good luck with everything! You will be in my prayers. Keep in touch!
Hi,
The electrodes on the skin will overlap with lung images in an X-ray. In a CT scan however, there is a similar view with the X-ray, but there is also a view which is different in which there is no overlap. The second view is a cross-section. If you've ever seen any magic acts where the magician cuts a volunteer in half at the waist (and you get one part head and torso - one part pelvis and legs), the cross-section is the view along the cut area. You can easily imagine that the electrode on the skin will appear as a thin strip on the top of the skin and will by no means interfere with looking at the internal organs.
I hope I didn't gross you out.
The electrodes on the skin will overlap with lung images in an X-ray. In a CT scan however, there is a similar view with the X-ray, but there is also a view which is different in which there is no overlap. The second view is a cross-section. If you've ever seen any magic acts where the magician cuts a volunteer in half at the waist (and you get one part head and torso - one part pelvis and legs), the cross-section is the view along the cut area. You can easily imagine that the electrode on the skin will appear as a thin strip on the top of the skin and will by no means interfere with looking at the internal organs.
I hope I didn't gross you out.
Hi, I am in the same boat. I have several less than 5 mm nodules in right upper and something in lower lobe. I am 55 and long time smoker, so yes I am scared too. I am smoke free day 1. I pray I can do this. They will probably tell me to redo my ct in 3 mths also. The waiting is not fun. I can't even get into a dr until Jan 29th to tell me what my report says. Thank Goodness for this website where a lot of things have been explained to me by the doctors and the great people. It will help you if you read some of the other stories. You learn a lot. Good luck with your next scan. Keep in touch.
I was wondering, I was wearing electrodes during my CT scan. Is it possible that the nodule could actually be the right upper electrode that I had on. The doctor had disconnected the leads to go for my ct. What do you think? Thank you very much for such quick responses and for your time.
Thank you very much for all of your help. I will keep in touch and let you know what happens after my next ct scan. Thanks for the support!!
Hi,
There is no known association for risks of lung diseases and occupational exposure of anesthetic agents.
For the patients themselves, there are preliminary studies (proof of causality still lacking) that link general anesthesia with Parkinson's disease. But then, bear in mind, these are for those who receive the full dose - not a small exposure, and the evidence is not yet compelling.
You may want to inquire about safety regulations for workers from human resources in your institution, if there is any room for improvement to make your working conditions more optimal and to relieve some anxieties.
There is no known association for risks of lung diseases and occupational exposure of anesthetic agents.
For the patients themselves, there are preliminary studies (proof of causality still lacking) that link general anesthesia with Parkinson's disease. But then, bear in mind, these are for those who receive the full dose - not a small exposure, and the evidence is not yet compelling.
You may want to inquire about safety regulations for workers from human resources in your institution, if there is any room for improvement to make your working conditions more optimal and to relieve some anxieties.
Thank you very much for responding so quickly. I saw my ct scan, it was a perfect circle up against the upper lining of the lung. It seemed bright white in color. I was actually at the er for fast heart rate and they did ct to rule out pulmonary embolis and found this. My heart has checked out fine with echo, stress test. They also said I had extra lymph nodes (mediastinal and hilar) of normal shape and size. I saw a lung specialist which he looked at the ct scan with me and showed me my nodule and looked for the extra lymph nodes which he did not see any. I will try to stay positive and I will definately do the recheck ct. Also, I am a veterinary technician and do work around anesthesia. I don't know if this can increase my risk of lung cancer. Thank you for helping me to stay positive.
Hi,
I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. I'm wondering if that event triggered you to undergo an evaluation.
There are several features that are inspected before a nodule is said to be benign. At the most all I have to work with is the size, those that are less than 1 cm are deemed low risk. Risk estimates would run into 10-15% chance of malignancy. This level does not warrant the risk of the biopsy. Other features such as shape and pattern may make these estimates even lower.
The repeat of 3 months is a very good plan, even the most aggressive lung cancer does not rapidly grow within a month, so there is significant merit for this practice. What's more, thousands of people have been advised the same thing, and the practice has not had any major changes in the last 5 years or so.
Keep your follow-up and stay positive.
I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. I'm wondering if that event triggered you to undergo an evaluation.
There are several features that are inspected before a nodule is said to be benign. At the most all I have to work with is the size, those that are less than 1 cm are deemed low risk. Risk estimates would run into 10-15% chance of malignancy. This level does not warrant the risk of the biopsy. Other features such as shape and pattern may make these estimates even lower.
The repeat of 3 months is a very good plan, even the most aggressive lung cancer does not rapidly grow within a month, so there is significant merit for this practice. What's more, thousands of people have been advised the same thing, and the practice has not had any major changes in the last 5 years or so.
Keep your follow-up and stay positive.
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