Has anyone had a needle biopsy of her lung?

[Maddyandherkittens]

I am being treated for a chest wall recurrence of my breast ca, but now there is a lesion in my lung that must be biopsied.

I am scared to death! Can anyone help?

[Iwasborntodothis]

I don't want to minimize your stress because its real. I'm just going to share to try to help.

I had a needle biopsy of my thyroid for a tumor and I must admit it was terrifying because I could see it going in BUT it didn't hurt and it was on my neck with only a local.

I think you will be fine. Its the unknown but its really no different then any other needle procedure.

We are all here with you

[Hidden]

Hi Maddyandherkittens,

Gosh, I really am so sorry, I would also be frightened!

I'm going to mention something, reluctantly. Because this seems like a potential solution for <1% of cases, but one never knows....and I don't want to give false hope, etc, but I'd feel remiss if I didn't bring this up...

My sister (who btw, had her first "met" as just one in her sternum...do you mean chest wall bones or soft tissue re: your chest wall tumor?), got her first lung tumor about 4 years ago. They were gearing up to do a needle biopsy and she told them that she really wanted them to just remove the whole thing for the biopsy. Part of it was psychological...she just wanted it out of her body! The other was more concrete, i.e. maybe if it's gone no new ones will come. (Even though we all know that metastatic disease is "systemic")

Her surgeon agreed, I'm not sure why. They determined - after her request - that it was in a difficult to reach place and therefore should be removed surgically. My sense is that her "question" (call it polite insistence) helped tilt the scales.

After they removed that tumor she was NED (the sternum had been fully radiated) for like 1.5 years. Then she got another tumor in her lung (same one) which they fully removed again because they saw how well she had done. She's NED ever since.

Again, I don't know how the details of her situation are different from yours, but I thought I'd mention this in case it is an option you'd like to explore. If you do want to explore it, I would advise you to go in with a confident/strong stance. I know it's difficult and unusual for doctors to diverge from standard protocol. But they do sometimes.

Okay, all that aside, I do think the needle biopsy procedure itself might not be too bad? I'm sure the progression to lung is very stressful, but there are so many women here who have the same and do very well with the systemic treatments. The thought of lung mets used to really disturb me, but after being on this site, I feel much more at ease with the prospect...

I hope you're doing okay...Please take care,

Lynn

[Barbteeth]

Hi Maddy

I had a needle biopsy two years ago but in the pleura...just had a local anaesthetic and watched the whole thing on the screen...he used ultrasound to guide the needle to the right place...there was absolutely no discomfort and in a bizzare way it was quite interesting to watch!!

So don’t be scared

Barb xx

[BangorBelle56]

I almost died during a lung biopsy as surgeon made a hole. It took months to recover. I have had lots of biopsies but would never agree to lung one again.

[Hidden in reply to BangorBelle56]

Wow, that's horrible!

Do you have any insight into why that happened/how it could possibly be avoided?

Are there any "red flags" that you see now, that might help others? Or precautions we can take?

Thanks!

[BangorBelle56 in reply to Hidden]

I think the mets were too small to biopsy. It took 1.5 hrs and was a nightmare. Think if mets are too small they should not do it. Think that is how my lung was punctured trying to do the impossible. Had a liver one several months later which was a breeze 😊

[Hidden in reply to BangorBelle56]

Thanks so much for your response/good info.

I know that when my sister had lung mets and they were going to biopsy, they preferred to wait a few months until they got bigger. They said they something about not wanting to "make them angry".

I guess the "takeaway" is to find out how large the tumor is and to question if it's possible that waiting a bit is a good option...

[Barbteeth in reply to BangorBelle56]

Did you have a pneumothorax?.. where the lung collapsed...I know it’s one of the risks but not life threatening

Barb xx

[BangorBelle56 in reply to Barbteeth]

No it wasn’t that. To be honest it is so long ago I remember. I know my blood pressure was incredibly low and I fainted then. Had to stay in hospital a week and get it drained. Went to specialist afterwards who said exercise as best as he could do more damage if he tried to fix it.

[barbarac76]

Hi Maddy,

I had a needle biopsy in a lung nodule in 2013. My memory is somewhat hazy, but I definitely don't recall having any problems. I'm not sure what anaesthetic I had, but I was not out completely during the procedure. It took about 45 minutes (my nodule was in a difficult spot). I stayed in recovery for 2 hours as a precaution (that was the protocol at my cancer center), then went home. I remember feeling an ever so slight discomfort in my right lung, but that left quickly.

I realize that your situation may be different from mine, but I hope by sharing my experience, which was uncomplicated and painless, you can feel less anxious. If I had to have another one, I would not be concerned at all.

I hope things go well for you.

[Gingerapple]

Hi Maddy and your kittens :)) Nice name ....xx

I have had a couple; they use Lidocaine to freeze the area, and if you want you can ask for a little sedation, which means you will have to stay overnight, but the biopsy needle going in doesn't hurt because of the lidocaine, just tell the radiologist you want lots of it

Don't worry and let me know how it all turns out.

Lots of love and hugs,

Bev xxxx

[Maddyandherkittens in reply to Gingerapple]

Thank you Gingerapple. I am having it done on Monday morning (at 7AM!) at our local University Medical center affiliated with my cancer center. Because of the Corona restrictions, my husband has to drop me at the door and cannot come in at all.

I have calmed down a bit, I am sure that I have been through worse things. Thank you for your encouragement!

Maddy

[Hidden in reply to Maddyandherkittens]

Maddyandherkittens,

Good luck with the procedure...I'm confident it will go well and I'll be thinking of you on Monday!

And what good advice..."I've been through worse things" is a great way for us to keep things in perspective!

[Gingerapple]

Where are you having it done and when?

[risingwaves]

Hi Maddy, I had a lung biopsy last May so that the oncologist could differentiate the lung mass from the already confirmed Bone mets, and they were able to confirm that it was a primary, and this enabled them to get to appropriate drugs for me. I was so frightened to get the test because a week earlier I had an uncomfortable pelvic biopsy. However I was so surprised and relieved that with the lung biopsy procedure I felt nothing other than a bit of pressure. it wasn't painful at all, however you never know that until you are there experiencing it. it's only after it that you say oh I wish I hadn't been so worried and frightened, it wasn't bad. The fear of it is far worse than the procedure. I hope all of that makes sense sorry it's a long reply. What helps me is to focus on something, like giving myself a problem to solve so that I am.not thinking about what they are doing, and let myself relax more. They are always kind and supportive they understand that you are frightened

[hurricaneheather]

bc metastatic to the right pleura (space between lung and chest wall) July 2015. malignant pleural effusion. i declined the needle biopsy and chose the VATS bronchoscopy, as the pleura needed the fluid drained. thus, had everything done at the same time.

[AuntyJane]

I had a CT guided lung biopsy last summer. Nodule they were going after was in mid right lung. Local numbing of chest area where needle inserted - surgeon had a difficult time getting to the spot as it was small. Report I received later showed he did 6 “passes” where usually it’s maybe 2-3 .

After about 20 minutes going in/out of CT machine then surgeon making numerous attempts, I started having trouble breathing, my blood pressure dropped and my lung collapsed (pneumothorax). I was immediately turned over to lay on my stomach then sent to recovery.

Had nothing to eat/drink for 3 hours while on my stomach -guess this position helps lung recover. Then had a chest X-ray to show lung was at a certain percentage before I was released. If it wasn’t, I would have been admitted overnight.

After all this, turns out not he did not get enough tissue to do detailed testing, but confirmed nodule was spread from my original breast cancer and not a new lung cancer. Good luck and prayers yours goes smoothly -everyone is different. think I had challenge due to location and small size.

[Francesca10]

I will keep you in prayer and sending positive vibes and hugs♥️