Nodule relapse

[Bluetug113]

After having a lobectomy in January 2018, my last scan at 18 months showed a nodule in my right lower and middle lobes. Also a swollen lymph node #10 if that make sense. My Doctor says do no panic. Hmmm easy to say. I guess I read too much and it does not appear the stats are good. Anyone have a similar situation? Oh they are 5 and 7 MM. After they say it on the 18 month CT they went back and found them on the 12 month at 3 and 5 mm. Don't know where this is going. Have to wait for a CT in September. Did make a appointment for a second opinion.

[Ncpoet]

A second opinion would be wise. I have had nodules show up twice over the past year but they went away on follow-up scans. I couldn’t have a lobectomy in 2013 when I was diagnosed because my cancer had spread to outside of lung, chest wall, and lymph node. It was stage 4 and I was told I had 8+ months to live. I had chemo and targeted drugs and it is 6 years later, I am here and cancer-free. I am still getting scans, because my oncologist is cautious and thorough. Scans now out to four months apart. Hopefully, I will graduate to six months scans next time. It is hard not to panic and think the worst. Even if your cancer comes back, there are so many more treatments available than when I was diagnosed. Get that second opinion and go from there. And you can get great support from this group.

All the best,

Judy

[Bluetug113 in reply to Ncpoet]

Thanks Judy, your story tells me that there is a pathway of hope. I cant tell you how my mind races through so many things, even though I try to put it out of my thoughts.

[Ncpoet in reply to Bluetug113]

Find something to keep yourself busy while you’re waiting. Waiting is the pits. I listened to music and bought a coloring book (anything to keep my mind off myself). They have them for adults now. And just the movement and watching a design develop was a kind of meditation for me. Took all the thoughts away. I write and paint, also. I play word games online. Just know “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but doesn’t get you anywhere.” I also called on my faith to get me through. And humor. Find something to laugh about every day. Humor helps with healing. Meanwhile, know you will get your answers and only then, can you get your plan. After I knew it was stage 4, I still had to wait for genetic testing so my doctor could use the right plan for me. There is a lot of hurry up and wait between diagnosis and treatment. There are a lot of survivors here and just believe you will be one, too. Romans 12:12. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” We’ve all been where you are. Believe you can do this!

Now go do something fun!

All the best,

Judy

[Lovey1000 in reply to Ncpoet]

Can I ask you something I also stage 4 and then had a cut Friday for a node reoccurrence 2 cm did 3 rounds of Taxol and Friday did a cut and today’s Thursday week later should I assume it’s gone no call from my dr or infusion it’s 8 days I’m going to assume Taxol killed it or they would of called by now

[Ncpoet in reply to Lovey1000]

What I would do is call the doctor’s office and ask if he has seen the report yet and what were the results? A doctor can get busy and if no treatment is needed immediately, maybe he doesn’t feel the urgency to call right away. It is better for you not to stress and knowing one way or another is definitely better.

My oncologist’s office is at the hospital where I do my scans. He always has my appointments with him scheduled at least two hours after the scan on the same day. That way he is able to look at the scans and can tell me the results when I see him. I know most doctors have to wait until they get the report and sometimes those wheels turn slow. I don’t know what is the normal amount of time before you hear anything about your scans, but instead of continuing to worry, call.

Hope you find out soon,

Judy

[JanetteR57]

Nodules can grow and shrink - sometimes due to inflammation or infection which is why they are watched when they reach a certain size. Yours are not yet at the threshold advised by the British Thoracic society guidelines for nodule management and I believe any second opinion you seek will tell you the same. Many people have nodules in their lungs - like people have moles on their skin but very few will actually develop into anything sinister. There is evidence that screening for breast and testing for prostrate cancers have resulted in many more people having aggressive treatments that were unnecessary and impacted their lives than would have ever developed into malignant disease hence the caution with our only breathing organs. More and more are being discovered through CT scans for other investigations and lung health checks on the screening pilot projects. If everyone was aggressively treated, this would be harmful and if a person went onto develop something else and their health compromised by such treatments, it would seriously impact their quality of life. The BTS guidelines have also been incorporated within the National Lung Screening protocol so everyone is working to the same parameters. They don't only go by size but also volume and given the size you have cited, they are following the protocol.

radiopaedia.org/articles/br...

[ThePurplePlace]

I understand your concern and because we all know how scary cancer is, I think a second opinion is always a good thing, especially since you are concerned. I understand that are doctors are trying to be as positive as possible but it's not them living with cancer in their bodies. I sincerely wonder what they would do if this were actually them and not their patient?

On the upside these are small nodules, and that is promising, but the fact that they've grown since a previous scan would definitely worry me. We've been taught all along that early detection is key and knowing that I personally would want to do whatever I could to ease my mind and that would be seeking a second opinion.

I sincerely hope they are nothing serious and will resolve in their own.

Best wishes

Lisa

[JeanE41]

You are in good company. I, too, had a nodule found 18 months after my lobectomy. Like yours it was too small to do anything about and located in a place that makes a biopsy very dangerous. Later another nodule started to grow in the other lung. We have been watching these with cat scans, at first every three months, then four months and now every six months. Growth has been extremely slow and after two and a half years they are a little over a centimeter each. Since I also had surgery for breast cancer three months prior to the lobectomy, my oncologist does not know if it is a return of lung cancer or metastasis from the breast cancer. Like you, I wanted immediate answers, and even yelled at my oncologist when he said he was not concerned that it was in my body and not his and I am concerned. He took it well and we work together following these nodules.

If you feel that a second opinion would be helpful, by all means go for it. Many lives have been saved that way. Since I'm comfortable with my oncologist's knowledge, I did not go that route. In my last scan, the radiologist considered the nodules stable. So now we wait until the next scan. After all these years, I'm comfortable with the waiting. My age of 77 also has a bearing on this. Each person's experience is different. You must do what is right for you. I would wait until the next scan before making any decisions, but I'm not you.

I wish you well on this journey. Jean

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

95% of nodules are not cancerous. As Jeanette mentioned they can be related to inflammation or infection. They may grow with either and then shrink or remain stable. I have nodules that were found with my original diagnosis 8.5+ years ago that are still there today and they are unchanged in all that time.

Definitely get a second opinion and continue with the active surveillance of those nodules.

[Lovey1000 in reply to Denzie]

Denzie is 8 days after my CT scan they did Friday July 5th still ok to think since no body had contacted me should I assume my lymph node 2 cm cancer gone after they did 3 rounds of Taxol ?? Nobody has called I think no word is a good thing??

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to Lovey1000]

With the holiday things might have gotten backed up. Call them and ask. Even if it did shrink they need to tell you.

[Lovey1000 in reply to Denzie]

3 weeks later and no call about the scan for the involved lymph node and i called and the receptionist advised no follow up appointments were in the near future so that

Sounds good to me cause they would have had infusion contact me by now for round 4

[yessirmam]

You are not alone, in many ways. I had diagnosis followed by immediate segmentectomy. Many nodules left across the lungs, but as others have said, these have many sources. Due to my life experiences and scans from a few years prior, many are known to be non-cancerous but others are unknown and too small for action. Because of cancer, of course being concerned is not only normal, but wise. No one has the magic bullet or crystal ball, you can only do what feels right for you. Through it all, remember that you are never alone. Let us know how it goes.