Tuesday, April 28, 2009

what different things could the spot on my left lung be besides cancer


what different things could the spot on my left lung be besides cancer?
During a hospitol stay for bronchitis in may, they found a spot or scar on my left lung. After 6 months they wanted a ct scan to see if it grew, it did. Then they did ct/pet for cancer, which would have lit up a hot spot very visible, test was negative for cancer. Now they want to do a ct guided needle biopsy to see what it is? My question is; What are the other possible things it could be? Any medical brains out there?
Cancer - 6 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
It could be doctors who don't really know or care what it is but still want to do lots of different tests that get them paid lots of money :)
2 :
If the spot is 6mm in size or smaller it usually isn't cancer. It could be a fungal infection which is reasonablly common or it could be a nodule. They'll know after they do the biopsy.
3 :
I had a friend that had a pulmonary embolis year ago and now she has a spot on xrays where it was the dr said it was a calcified granuloma and is ok, it iwll just alway show up on xrays
4 :
It could be many different things, however the fact that it grew would have me very concerned. Anything that 'grows' you need to suspect could be cancerous. A PET scan is not always accurate and does not pick up small cancers. My son had a 4 cm pelvic tumor that a PET totally missed, so be very careful relying on it as the definitive answer. Perhaps this is the reason why the doctor wants to do a biopsy . . to rule out cancer once and for all. Usually a biopsy is the only way to tell one way or the other if a nodule or tumor is malignant or benign. You are doing everything right, and should get the results back fairly quickly. If it is cancer than it is very early stage, which is good. Best of luck.
5 :
While not being a "medical brain", I have very similar story in my family, which was rather very unpleasant and even traumatizing: This person was a smoker all her life, though not smoking more than 5 cigarettes a day. Always suffered from bronchitis, and towards 1998 was diagnosed with emphysema. Couple of years later, atrial fibrillation was "added to the list". I believe it was in '98 when the first x-rays were done, and SCARS were found. I believe it was also then when the first "mixed" signals from doctors started coming in; such as telling me her lungs were black, etc. Nowadays_and in many instances pretty late for her to have a better quality of life_I've made it my business to find out as much as possible, and ask and probe from all medical professionals helping her. Why? Well because, even though her primary doctor said there was not much that could be done for emphysema, there was. And that SCAR which at first scared us beyond words, turned out to SCARE us (me especially) out of my mind, since by now she's very old and we keep from her most of the information!!!! Two years ago, and mainly because of her primary's total carelessness in giving us anything that would help us (and her), not make mistakes, she took long road trips (without oxygen!!!); didn't diminish salt intake, nor greasy or acid foods. Etc. Finally there was dehydration and so many medical diagnosis (and mis-diagnosis) to last us a lifetime! Finally after having been given less than three months to live, mis-diagnosed with cancer, the scar, which by then had grown (and pulmonologist now sweared it was cancer), it was only a heaven-sent emergency doctor who after doing even brain scans, etc., gave us the first relief saying those were just scars. By the time I began a complete healthy, nutritious, balance diet, normal hydration, monitoring for excess carbon dioxide signs, etc., she had been hospitalized in intensive, and even intubated for nearly a month. All because of doctors' lack of care! PLEASE, be very possitive and diligent in your care. Ask and probe thorougly. Explain you want to find out what those medical words mean; if this is common in all similar patients, if there are less invasive and equally qualified procedures. Etc. While not being a doctor, it makes me wonder why wait 6 months for your scar or spot to grow. Always find out if there are earlier, more conclusive methods.
6 :
A spot in the lung usually refers to a small, discrete, rounded nodule visible on a routine chest x-ray. Spots may range in size from that of a dime to a silver dollar; because their shape is rounded they are often referred to as coin nodules. Coin nodules are never a normal finding, although they may be benign or malignant. Benign lesions (another word for abnormal spots or coin nodules) are usually due to old infections that have healed to form a scar. Malignant lesions are usually due to lung cancer or cancer that has spread from elsewhere in the body to the lungs. Utilizing only the routine chest x-ray, it is seldom possible to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. This difference is critical since a malignancy (cancer) may be in its early stages and amenable to surgery. Conversely, a benign lesion usually warrants no treatment and will not affect the patient's life. What to do after finding a coin nodule on chest x-ray depends on the patient's age, smoking history, availability of old x-rays, and a host of other factors. A lung infiltrate is an abnormality on a chest x-ray which is larger than a coin lesion or spot. It is also non-specific and may be due to a variety of causes, for example - pneumonia, partial lung collapse, cancer, tuberculosis, and pulmonary blood clots are common examples. Be aware that the biopsy is a way of ascertaining the details of the ‘spot’ so that the pathophysiology may be determined. Which means that the tests that are planned are in accordance with the method of elimination of the possible causes that might be harmful, and identifying the true cause of this ‘spot’. Hope this helps matador 89




Read more discussions :

Posted by lung cancer at 3:58 PM