3mm lung nodule - -what is it???

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suzytruehome
suzytruehome Member Posts: 1
edited June 2014 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

Dear friends:

I am new to this Board. It's been 10 years (plus one month and twenty days - - but who's counting?!) since i was diagnosed with Stage 1 BC (details below, in signature). I had a mastectomy, plus 4 cycles of AC.  I took Tamoxifen for 3 years, then switched to Arimidex which i took for 5+ years (just recently stopped). I've had extremely thorough followup (I am pretty neurotic), and since my dx  I've been NED.

Five years ago, during a routine preop chest xray before a prophylactic hysterectomy/oophorectomy, they "saw something" -- which led to a chest CT, on which the "something" was determined to be nothing, but they "saw something "- - which led to an abdominal CT that showed nodules in each adrenal gland. These appeared to be benign...but i've had abdominal CTs every year to follow them. They've never grown or changed shape etc - - so the endocrinologist at the major cancer center where I am a patient (and where i used to work, too) stopped worrying about them.

A few weeks ago, on this annual abdomen CT, "they saw something" in the left lower lobe of the lung (which was new since last year's abdomen CT) - - which led to a chest CT, in which they saw a 3mm lung nodule.  Although  my oncologist said "it was most assuredly nothing" (likely an old infection, he said - - as did the radiologist who read the CT, who's a friend), especially since i am 10 years since my bc dx, he referred me to a pulmonologist (at the cancer center), who i saw yesterday.

Although i'd been fairly calm before seeing him, i totally freaked out when the pulmonologist said that there's a 50-50 chance that it's lung mets from my breast cancer. Although i knew, intellectually, that this was a possibility, the way he talked about it made it finally seem real, and reading between the lines my sense was that he thought that's what it was. He said it was too small to biopsy, and that in his opinion a surgical wedge resection was much too invasive at this point. He recommended another chest CT in 2 months. If it's larger/had changed shape, he said he'd recommend a biopsy if possible, or a wedge resection, at that point, since a pathological dx is the only definitive way to know what it is.

Needless to say, "watching and waiting" is not my strong suit. In fact, in the past 24 hours i have found myself going to places, psychologically, that i haven't visited in years - - picking out my funeral music, figuring out how to distribute my $$ to my minor niece and nephew, etc. In short, i am in an absolute panic. For the first time in 10years, and despite all of the "we see somethings" that i've been through that have turned out to be nothings, my gut is telling me that this is a problem (in the same way that my gut told me that the lump I felt in my breast on 12/14/98 was cancer despite the fact that "90 percent of breast lumps are benign" blah blah blah).

Has anyone else experienced this  kind of "incidental finding" on a CT (eg finding a small ung nodule that they weren't looking for)? what did you do? what did it turn out to be?

Thanks so very much.

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  • SunshineSmiles
    SunshineSmiles Member Posts: 769
    edited February 2009

    Suzy,

    I am so sorry for the rollercoaster that you have been put on.  It is, indeed, a scary place.  My experience has not been the same as yours, I have liver mets, but I know alot about the psychological dark places and how going to them can make you feel as if you're drowning.  I call it "touching bottom", like you're touching the bottom of the swimming pool.  You can't bear to stay there long, but while you're there, it's kinda miserable.  But we do it anyway.  

    First of all, the pulmonologist may just be thinking out loud.  He may see other patients for whom it turns out to be mets, but that doesn't have to be your story.  In fact, I would think that your history (10 years, awesome!) would make me hope that it's just more of the same whatever that you've dealt with in the past.  If your Onc and Radiologist feel it's likely nothing, I say trust their judgement until someone proves them wrong.  It's good to be somewhat prepared for disappointing news, but this is NOT a done deal, and you may be just fine.

    I think the Pulmonologist is erring on the side of caution, but I think 50-50 is pretty good odds!  If your gut is telling you that this is a problem, it may help to know that you are NOT alone, there are many ladies here dealing successfully with lung mets.  It is not a death sentence, and if the news turns out to be disappointing, there are some great procedures and treatments available that weren't even used 10 years ago.  There is also a procedure called "radio frequency ablation" that you can look into if needed.  A friend of mine used it for three lung tumors and it zapped them clean away.  No surgery.  She is so excited.

    Hang in there and try to keep yourself occupied.  Watching and waiting is the pits, especially when someone raises a red flag.  I get my scan results today and I am a nervous wreck!  Speaking of which, if you need a Rx to cope better, ask your Onc about Ativan or Xanax.  It can really help during a stressful time and doesn't make you feel goofy, just less anxious.  I depend on it from time to time and there's nothing wrong with eliminating stress when possible!

    Big hugs to you, hang in there as other ladies will come along-

    Susan 

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  • Lifestooshort
    Lifestooshort Member Posts: 159
    edited February 2009

    Suzy,

    Hang in there.  It is probably benign.  I don't want to scare you but last year in May I went in for lymphedema and he ordered a CT scan just to be sure my the enlarged nodules in my neck were just that... lymphedema.  Yup, that's what it was.  Incidentally they found a 5 mm lung nodule in my opposite side.  We watched it.... 2 scans stayed the same thought I was home clear and on the third scan it grew every so slightly to 7 mm.  My onc is conservative (love him!) and he referred me to a thoracic surgeon who was able to do the VATS procedure with wedge resection just this last December of 08.  It did turn out to be a lung met.  In hindsight I feel lucky I went in for lymphedema, a test was ordered and it was caught very early.  And who EVER would be happy to have lymphedema.  HUH?  LOL....  But scans since then have been good!

     Hang in there.  Stay in touch.

    Laurie

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  • DARLENEDENISE
    DARLENEDENISE Member Posts: 300
    edited February 2009

    Hi All,  Me too, on the lung thing.  On a routine CT scan they saw two 3mm nodules and maybe some pleural thickening, suggestive of mets.  A subsequent PET scan shows them on the PET CT but did not light up on the PET.  So one test says suggestive, one says no, so, I guess that leaves me with maybe.  I love these inaccurate expensive tests that we have to rely on!  I hear from lots of mesters that the lung is a tricky thing and that many times turns out not to be mets.  I will be hoping that our future scans confirm not mets!!  In the meantime, I hope our nerves can hold up. 

    Keep us up to date, and funerals are no fun to plan; plan to live, it's more fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Darlene in Virginia Beach

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  • Fitztwins
    Fitztwins Member Posts: 7,969
    edited February 2009

    I am having the same issues.  I am trying to get into a vaccine trial. My doctor didn't say I had lung mets, just nodules. The vaccine trail folks said my lung nodules were active. So damn confusing.

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  • luvtotravel
    luvtotravel Member Posts: 933
    edited February 2009

    Let's remember 50/50 are good odds.  Two months is a long time to wait.  Have you had any cancer markers ran and have they been normal?  If you have a history of markers, perhaps you could have them run and see if they are elevated?  Don't plan your funeral-you are this side of the grass-Go out and have an ice cream instead.  Much more productive :)

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited February 2009

    It might be beneficial to have a PET scan that should be able to differentiate between something cancerous and something benign based on the sugar uptake. 

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  • TripleNeg
    TripleNeg Member Posts: 836
    edited February 2009

    I had a similar experience but I chose not to wait and had a PET followed by a wedge section biopsy. I think waiting is easier said than done. I say have PET and then go from there. Don't wait.... God is able, stephanie

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  • ysw
    ysw Member Posts: 29
    edited February 2013

    Recently we had CT scan for my mom, 6 yrs cancer free history (2006- it was stage III B). We have multiple vertebral mets in spine and every thing else seems to be clear. Except 3 mm nodule on top of right side of lung. I am hoping that it just the bone disease and nothing wrong with any other soft/vital organs. Any thoughts?

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  • GoldenGirls
    GoldenGirls Member Posts: 608
    edited February 2013

    Hi YSW,

    I shared a bit of my mom's story with you yesterday. The first CT that was done a couple of months ago for shoulder pain didn't only show bone lesions but also a 6x4mm oblong lung nodule. The doctors were not worried about it, but we certainly were! Her follow up CT scan a couple of weeks ago no longer showed it. Apparantly it's quite common for these things to come and go.

    Hugs

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  • JeninMichigan
    JeninMichigan Member Posts: 2,974
    edited February 2013

    Suzy

    When I was first diagnosed they did a c/t scan and it was all clear except for a small nodule on my lung.  My surgeon dismissed it as focal scarring since I live on a farm.  I guess this is common if you have a history living on a farm or around animals .. especially chickens.  So before I went to start chemo my oncologist ordered a PET scan to confirm the nodule was scarring.   After the pet, it was confirmed the lung nodule was nothing but I did have liver and bones mets which showed up. 

    So don't borrow worry just yet.   It is pretty common to have spots show up on your lung. 

    Hopefully it resolves on its own.

    Jennifer

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  • blainejennifer
    blainejennifer Member Posts: 1,848
    edited February 2013

    There's even a nickname for these random lung nodules, "ditzel". I've had one since my primary diagnosis, and it hasn't budged.

    Other Jennifer

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  • Bondgirl
    Bondgirl Member Posts: 140
    edited February 2013

    I'm sorry you are going through this. The not knowing is awful.  I have lung mets and went through a similar situation where they could not tell me based up on scans what it was. In fact, my scans showed nothing malignant; however, tumor markers were rising.  Because there there was nothing to actually biopsy (I had a lot of infection and inflammation at that time due to pneumonia and pulmonary embolism) they did what is called a bronchial lavage at MD Anderson.  I was in twilight sleep but it wasn't invasive and I had no pain from the procedure. They did find cancer cells in my lungs.  By the time I went back two months later for follow up scans all the infection had cleared and they were finally able to see the tumor on the scans.  I would ask your doctors about that procedure rather than taking the wait and see approach.  Also, because you have had things pop up previously in your lungs that were benign try to not go to the worst places in your mind. Hopefully it is nothing but you want to find out as soon as possible.

    Hugs and best of luck.

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  • ysw
    ysw Member Posts: 29
    edited February 2013

    At least for the moment looking at all of your experiences this 3mm looks nothing to be worried about. Apperently, I am curious if it is really must to do PET scan, although we have been doing MRI and CT scan?

    @Jennifer: Are you saying that your liver and bone mets only got confirmed after the PET scan and not with regular CT scan? Thanks for help and take care all of you.

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  • sueco
    sueco Member Posts: 250
    edited February 2013

    Just got home from my 3-month visit with oncologist.  The past six months have totally consumed me with worry.  My PET scan 6 months ago showed a 4 mm lung nodule.  For six months I have worried and worried.  Today she showed me my PET scan results I had last week and there was no evidence of the 4 mm lung nodule.  I read to learn more when I knew I had a nodule and just learned that small "mm" nodules are common and are usually not cancerous.  However, with breast cancer spreading to my bones almost seven years ago I was normally worried.  Just try to keep your mind on other things.  Not easy but I seem to be getting better at it.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited February 2013

    Hi All, 

    Moving this to a different form ("Not diagnosed with a recurrence, but concerned)

    Thanks!

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