hello, my father has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer that has spread to the liver.
He is still in hospital with high calcium and diarrhoea. He has had a biopsy of the lung taken, but I’m just curious of how long we should be expecting to wait for results.
and what is next? The drs are pretty certain we’re looking at stage 4, due to the spreading to the liver.
How long should results take? Will these results be given over the phone or in person?
What should we expect next after results? Are further tests required to check if it has speak to his bones or lymph nodes?
Sorry for the mass of questions, the hospital is currently shut to visitors due to norovirus so speaking to a dr has been challenging to ask the questions we all have.
thank you so much
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I had a liver biopsy at Jimmy's in Leeds at start of January. I think it was 3 weeks or so before I got the results. The hardest part was that I was then referred for a MRI and had to wait till mid-Feb to see the oncologist to get treatment started. This 5 or 6 weeks or so was the most difficult part of the whole thing, it felt like forever. My GP put it really well: I hadn't really started on my journey yet, I'd just been packing!
The waits for cancer treatment do seem longish now, the McMillan site confirms that.
The Feb appointment finally got things cracking - I was prescribed meds that I started the very next day.
In short, depending on your hospital's timings, you can expect biopsy results in a few weeks, but there may then be another wait of several weeks before you can get a treatment plan set.
Welcome to the forum and so sorry to hear about your dad. The waiting is such an anxious and stressful time for everyone. Biopsy results initially can take 1 - 2 weeks to determine if it is cancer and the type of cancer . There are also an additional few weeks to analyse if your dad has specific biomarkers or specific proteins present in the cells, this may enable him to have new medications like immunotherapies or targeted therapies.
Although it can seem a long wait, it is worth getting the full diagnosis to be offered a treatment that will provide the best outcome.
This link will take you to our information booklet on a new diagnosis of lung cancer, which may help answer some of your questions: roycastle.org/app/uploads/2...
This leaflet explains about biomarker testing, which may help provide an understanding of what the doctor may be talking about at the next appointment:roycastle.org/app/uploads/2...
Usually a PET scan is done to have a clearer image of the lungs and observe for any lymph node involvement, it is worth noting that even those patients who have stage 4 can still have treatment and although not a cure can provide a degree of extension of life. This is mainly due to the new treatments of immunotherapies and targeted therapies. Sometimes they do further investigations as in bone or brain scans.
The results should be given face to face if possible and hopefully by the time these are available, the hospital will be open. This is understandably very frustrating for you and hopefully our information booklets will be of help.
If you know the name of the consultant that your dad is under the care of, you could contact the hospital switchboard and ask to speak to their secretary and they may be able to arrange a phone chat, your dad may have been allocated a lung cancer nurse specialist and the ward staff will be able to tell you if this has been done and their contact number.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like to discuss or ask any questions to our ask the nurse on the helpline, 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600, alternatively you can email us at lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org
Always a worrying time to watch loved ones become ill and when we know so little about the diagnosis only makes things worse. Try not to panic - even if lung cancer has spread beyond the lung (i.e. stage iv), there are many treatments available now but the results from the various imaging and biopsy are essential to make a more personalised treatment decision. Many of the treatments offered can vary dependent on the tumour's characteristics which can only be assessed through the biopsy work at the pathology lab. Not all hospitals conduct their own biopsies - some are sent to a centralised pathology lab and these days with so many different tests needed in general for genomic knowledge for not only cancers but other conditions, their work is often backed up. There was a shortage of pathologists in the UK before the pandemic and that hasn't improved. How long you wait can also depend on whether the pathology lab is fully staffed whereas many are carrying vacancies or are really busy with other tests too.
Sadly waiting is a necessary evil - part of the many pieces of the jigsaw that need putting together before the various results can be pictured, discussed by a multidisciplinary team if they turn out to be cancer, then usually the results will be discussed with the patient in a consultation with the clinician who will likely lead the treatment. If this is to be surgery (stages 1-2 mostly), that may be the surgeon, but if systemic anticancer treatment is required (i.e. if it's spread stage 3-4) then that will usually be an oncologist. At that appointment a clinical nurse specialist for lung cancer is often introduced to the patient and they will often become the 'go to' person for yours/his questions.
If it has spread elsewhere, this would show up on scans but usually the treatment to blitz it (apart from localised surgery or radiotherapy) would aim to 'catch' the cells wherever they have spread to. These include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted agents, radiotherapy and often a combination but they depend on the specific results of the biopsy.
Even during the pandemic our local hospital allowed the patient to be accompanied to that diagnosis meeting as it can be a lot to take in and easier if there is somebody with the patient to ask questions or record the meeting if wanted. Results in some sites are put into patient portals for imaging but often these are full of medical terms that are intended between healthcare professionals despite the letter being addressed to the patient. If this happens, try not to google - as it needs the context explaining by a trained clinician to fully appreciate what this means for the patient as everyone is different. Some results when the patient has already met the clinician may be given by phone but the first one is usually explained in person.
Try not to get ahead of yourselves - waiting is a crucial part of the experience sadly so finding a way to keep your minds occupied, live without letting the investigations become the only topic of conversation, do things together, be there for one another and keep your minds open. My diagnosis was in Jan 2011 and having been involved in cancer research since 2013, the treatment options now are very different from back then and new treatments coming along all the time. many are in clinical trials or awaiting approval and many are being trialled in other countries but if proven more effective than the current treatments are usually adopted by other healthcare systems.
There is good information - regularly updated - on Roy castle lung cancer foundation website with many case studies/patient stories on there that may help alleviate your current understandable concerns. When he has a better idea of what treatment he will be offered, there is really detailed information about those but for now as there are so many types, no point filling your head with stuff that may be irrelevant. Good luck to you both. roycastle.org/about-lung-ca...
Sorry to read this. I have spent my time working really hard on 'controlling the controllables' and trying to ignore everything else. Easier said than done but it helps me. When I'm given a date or call, I then make a call, send an email to check the set a date or to chase it agin. I use a diarry every day. I write who I'' call etc. I don't even think about it until I see the diary reminder the make the call, leave note of my action for future reference
The focussed approach helps me enjoy my good day s and in my language "I don't waste time worrying about things I cant' control' But I do have plans to chase up in a reasonable time and your dad can also be assured by showing him what you are doing. Yes you may be in hospital but writing the info down in front of whoever is telling you the information will make help them be more inclined to give you a straight answer. You may even agree a review date
However after a certain number of reminderscalls or days when people don't put into action the praises or respond I will happily ask the Dr or sit on the phone and become that rather strong character who will hand over my pressure back onto the team who are supposed to help and sit on the until they action it or call back at agreed times in the same day until they sort it. I have already hit them with list of days and times they should have sorted something because I kept log in my diary.
And yes I totally agree the system is nightmare and so dispiriting as it is a minefield and you talk to so many people who just don'tbtake any ownersip. I hope you find a knight in shining armor who can assist you and your dad further.
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