Morroconoil

[Moroccanoil]

Hi can any one tell me if when you was having your scans and biopsy. Did you get results straight away? As they have told my husband to come back in six weeks as their not sure what to do.im worried leaving it six weeks.

[hbj23]

Hello, When I was going through the initial scans & biopsies, before I was initially diagnosed, I was told at the time my results could take up to 2 weeks. It did take the full 2 weeks each time for me to get all the main ones, but if your hospital is doing DNA testing, I know 2 of those particular results, 1 takes 3 weeks, the other I think was about 6 weeks to come back. Having said this, I got all the results after 2 weeks each time, apart from the DNA ones, as above. I was also given my consultant secretaries telephone number and told to call her, (before I was officially diagnosed i was under a respiratory consultant) she was very helpful in advising me and getting the consultant to call me back with any updates in the meantime. I totally understand how painful the waiting is, and it sounds like you were the same as us, how long is too long??? From official diagnosis to receiving treatment was 2 months for me. I hope this is helpful but i would say keep calling the hospital for updates as i am sure they get some results back quicker than others. Good luck and i will be sending you both positive thoughts xx

[Moroccanoil in reply to hbj23]

Thankyou for answering. But I'm so confused as we went for results after two weeks and they said all scans biopsy came back clear. The mass had shrunk. So we will scan you again in six weeks🤔But it still could be cancer my husband had a really bad chest infection and they say it could be infection. But the gp said it was as cancer. As anyone had a experience like this,

[SAH1]

Hi,

I had a chest x-ray and then a CT scan. I had an appointment after the CT scan when the consultant told me that I had cancer. I had a PET scan the week after that and a biopsy the following week, the week after was Christmas week so I didn't see the consultant again until January, 4 weeks after my first appointment with him. I got the results of the PET scan and biopsy then. Fortunately there was no spread to lymph nodes or anywhere else and I had my operation in February, around 2 months after my first consultant appointment.

I've had a right upper lobectomy, with chemo started 9 weeks after. Out of the whole process, that initial waiting period was by far the worse time. It was very much a roller coaster process, I was so elated after finding out there was no spread, and then terrified at the wait for the operation.

Still here though and feeling well. Wishing you and your husband the best.

[Moroccanoil]

Hi thankyou for your reply. It is such a long wait I'm just so worried it really is a roller coaster. After the pep scan and biopsy they said the biopsy was clear and scans. So I'm confused to how it can be cancer . Just feel confused. Did they tell you your biopsy was neagativ? I'm sorry to sound stupid. Hope you can understand what I'm saying

[SAH1 in reply to Moroccanoil]

I believe the pep scan showed the tumour but no lymph node involvement. When I had the bronchoscopy they couldn't biopsy the tumour but biopsied lymph nodes, which were clear of cancer.

[Granscotland]

Sorry to hear you're going through this worry. I would be taking on board what the oncologist is saying, have you been assigned a cancer nurse specialist? If you have why not get in touch and tell them how you are feeling. The waiting is hard I know, I was fortunate from the time of the initial x-ray to the start of treatment was exactly four weeks. The results of the biopsy took the longest to come through and I was egfr positive and now on a targeted drug. I hope you get a result soon and it is only a chest infection. Take care.

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Hello Moroccanoil, some biopsys/ test will take a few weeks for the results to come back, this understandably be a worrying time however it is important for the medical team who are responsible for your care to have all the results available, then only if the results are positive will they be able to discuss what treatment plan is apporiate. If you are worried please get in touch with your Gp who will be able to talk through your concerns, they should have acess to your history and will be able to answer your questions.

If you would like to speak with someone please give us a call on our nurse led helpline freephone 0800 358 7200

Kind regards

Roy Castle Helpline

[Moroccanoil]

Thankyou for your advice I will speak to our gp this group really does help everyone is so helpful so glad I found this group

[JanetteR57]

I don't know of any scans/results given immediately - chest x-rays are interpreted by radiographers and then left either to chest physicians/consultants or GPs to relay the news generally. CT scans take a lot longer (they show slices of the body that take longer to interpret than a traditional chest x-ray), blood tests and other markers take usually several hours/days to get results and biopsies have to go to pathology for rigorous quality assured standards. Therefore the waiting times are usual - we have to adjust to this phase of our illness that in our 24/7 immediate response world, that medicine doesn't work like that and the NHS not at all like that. Harsh but that's the reality unfortunately - it's not that anyone causes delays deliberately but the way things are organised isn't and doesn't have an instant feedback mechanism. Also if clinicians rushed to give everyone harsh systemic treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy and it was found out not to be cancer, they'd be sued for negligence. They really have to wait to see if your body responds by closing down any inflammation, reduces the tumour size on its own and what else is going on in response to any medication they prescribe and tests they undertake to be absolutely sure of the correct course of treatment. As lung cancer knowledge is developed, they now know that some types of tumour don't respond at all and in fact could be worsened by the incorrect treatment, so it is really a case of your own clinician and multidisciplinary team working up the exact course of treatment for your own specific symptoms and case.

Having spent the day at a NCRI clinical studies group where several studies reported an average turn around time for biopsies of 3 weeks means many will take longer than this. There are only a few ways of confirming diagnosis of cancer - bronchoscopy/ebus for biopsies, needle biopsies, Chest x-ray/CT/PET and other signs/symptoms by way of confirmation. Several symptoms can be other causes such as TB scarring, infection, pneumonia so they will wait before bombarding patients with unnecessary treatments that are known to cause lots of damage (as well as treat the cancer) until they are sure. There is current research underway about using blood tests/liquid biopsies for circulating tumour cells, these are not generally available but hopefully within a few years, the tests to determine whether somebody has lung cancer or not will get quicker. Although the waiting time is a very anxious time, I'd suggest if you can distracting yourselves from being totally immersed in the waiting time for medical results. I was originally misdiagnosed as asthma despite the 'lesion' showing on Chest X-ray on emergency admission in October, it took over a month to even get a CT scan, followed by a PET scan followed by decision to remove the tumour and half my lung before any biopsy was done back in December 2010 and then confirmed diagnosis in January 2011 (after removed tumour had been to pathology to confirm lung cancer) which was over 3 months after I'd initially turned up in A&E. Yet in that period (between admission and diagnosis, I wrote all Xmas cards, bought all xmas presents, continued to deliver work assignments/commitments, had my will and power of attorney drawn up, swam, attended every invitation to any Xmas celebration I received (to distract and in case I didn't make another) but generally to get through the time… thankfully I'm still here … These life events turn everything upside down but just waiting for scan/test results is a real waste of the time available, try to do things that are valuable and precious if you can…. thinking of you….

[Moroccanoil in reply to JanetteR57]

Thankyou for your help I do understand the have to have the right diagnosis. Before treatment is given. I will speak to our nurse and see if she can explain a little more in what is going on. As if tests come back clear I would thought that would be enough to now what is going on. But odvouisly they now what their doing . I think I just don't take it all in when we're their. Thanks apgain glad to here your doing well your self

[JanetteR57 in reply to Moroccanoil]

You're more than welcome. Thanks for your kind wishes. On Roy Castle website are patient materials/resources and each includes a section on questions to ask your medical team and hopefully you or whoever might be in the visit can help write down the answers (or nurse afterwards) as even if we're told in the consultation, our heads are swimming with other thoughts once the word 'cancer' is even raised so I do understand. This has nothing to do with our intelligence, memory, education level but more to do with the overwhelm of the situation. good luck x

[harjiparji]

I had to wait 2 weeks for my results