Hi, I had a cat and pet scan done stating I had a cancerous nodule but then I had an inconclusive biopsy. Any input appreciated.

[Spiculated]

Inconclusive biopsy

[Feelingblessed2013]

Any idea why the biopsy is inconclusive? What does your doctor suggest?

If it were me, I would go talk to my doctor/oncologist, ask questions, see what they suggest. A few of the things I have learned through my journey, and being a part of this and a few other groups is that you have to be your own advocate, and to go to every appointment with a list of questions, ask them all and write down the answers.

If need be I would seek out a second opinion.

I'm sorry, I feel like I'm not really being any help, but I felt that I had to say something, I had to try.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

What type of biopsy did they do? (Fine needle, needle core, or Ebus). Sometimes they miss what they are aiming at with a needle even with CT or other guided needle biopsy- imagine trying to reach into the center of your body and trying to hit something the size of a pea. If it was an ebus, sometimes the brushing don’t loosen enough cells to get a good reading.

Where are you being seen? Was the surgeon a general surgeon or a thoracic surgeon. If this were my body I would request my records and have further testing done at an NCCN cancer Care Center.

nccn.org/members/network.aspx

If that isn’t possible ask for a new one to be done by the surgeon at your hospital that has the most experience.

[Spiculated]

Thanks for the reply.

I had a needle biopsy and they didn't get enough tissue because I developed a pneumothorax during biopsy. I saw the thoracic surgeon, and she talked about my case with the other doctors who all decided I should do radiation. My other option would have been a repeat cat scan to see if its grown again. Another biopsy,and surgery are not options. They felt because 2 of the three tests looked like cancer,that it is cancer.