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I'm always envious when surgery is an option for someone. It offers such a measurable outcome. For myself, starting into year 4 of this nonsense, I will will act aggressively and decisively the moment there is a change in the status of my scans. YMMV-- we all have different approaches and priorities. Best of luck.

I had a small, slow-growing nodule in my lower right lobe that didn't show any uptake on the PET. Because of its location, it couldn't be biopsied without surgery. I had a lobectomy and the noduleturned out to be an adenocarcinoma. My decision to go with the surgery was influenced by my having had two prior non-lung cancers and this thing could have been a metastasis, although the docs all agreed that it was most likely a primary lung cancer due to its appearance on the CTs.

Welcome to our forums. I'm sorry you need to be here but glad you found us. We're a community made up of LC (Lung Cancer) survivors and some caregivers. The stages, types, and treatments we've experienced are "all over the map" so you'll be able to ask most any question and find people with firsthand experience. Like you most everyone in my family died of cancer. My dad, mom, most of my uncles and aunts on my mother's side, and a step-sister, so like you I understand the situations reasonably well.. What I can tell you is that when my mom died from LC we didn't have many of the treatments and trials available today. So you have the experiential knowledge but I think it's also good to learn all you can in an updated manner so I'm going to share some different information with you. We have a section called "Lung Cancer 101". It covers causes, diagnosis, treatments and all aspects of Lung Cancer it can be found here. An important blog written by one of our senior member is titled "10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; from a Survivor" it is on this page. This member was originally diagnosed at Stage 3 then Stage 4 and after 20 years of treatment has been declared "cured". A tip for you; stay away from Dr. Google. Outcome statistics found there are normally over a 5-year period and don't accurately reflect new treatments available. Neither do they consider the individuality of our situations. You're always better sticking with your treatment team for that information. Please stick around, update us as events unfold and ask any questions you may have. We'll be here to support you. Lou

Hey all, just wanted to follow up. Had surgery Monday. As diagnosed it was adenocarcinoma. Dr removed a wedge of my lobe and said cleared margins. He also removed lymph nodes. Feeling lucky for the incidental find and choosing the surgical biopsy . Waiting on lymph node results. I have a Follow up may 9th. Thanks for the support.

@Anthony, a friend of mine has an Exon 19 mutation, with lots of mets to the bones. He was diagnosed 16 years ago. 16 Don't quit before the miracle....

my LRLL. Aside from my well-documented challenge with a chylothorax, I've been feeling great. Normal activity results in no SOB and aside from the occasional twinge, there is no pain. I can walk stairs without SOB as well. Iin fact, I try to take the stairs (in lieu of the elevator) whenever I can. Yard work (including mowing) is no more difficult than before this experience. I've had one scan since, which was good. Next scan is in June, hopefully with the same results! I hope this helps anyone who is facing the same challenges we all are in this group.

I personally would not delay with a rescan or a separate biopsy. Even though not 100% odds are high of it being malignant. Stage 1a lung cancer stops at 10 mm your at 9 now. While it's not known how fast it's growing, every day you wait is a day closer to 1b. While that's still very wet early it's not 1a. 1a systemic (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted treatment) are not even offered. While because of your history they would most likely recommend it if you were 1b. This is the very reason they no longer wait for 10 mm to do a biopsy and now do it at 8 mm Good luck to you. ROSE may come back benign.

@Livin Life, I'm glad you found this site. It's been the most reputably helpful of the few I've found, as well as the most genuinely supportive. We have waves of activity, depending on who's checking in. I don't know much about what you're experiencing. I had ground glass after radiation therapy fried my tumor. It has gradually cleared as the severe inflammation from immunology-induced pneumonitis resolved but it was a very long haul. Keep us posted!

@NYC GUY I personally would get a vats fine needle biopsy with a rapid in site evaluation ROSE. That way a positive finding gets you a resection right then and there. An early resection is your best chance for a cure. Good luck to you and sorry you're even faced with this decision.

@NYC GUY, you may want to re-post this as its own topic-- it will likely generate more responses. I'm always envious of people who have the option for surgery. With surgery, you get rid of the nasty thing and you get a biopsy. My tumor and lymph node locations sent me down the road of chemo and radiation, and now, a targeted therapy. If you are concerned, it's best to find a second opinion, ideally, from a major cancer center. You're lucky to be near several with the federal NCI designation. You can learn more about why the NCI designation can be helpful here. Please consider re-posting this in order to get more feedback. And, keep us posted.

Thanks so much for sharing some of your story and for the welcome, Lou! Yes, to cancer all over the family. I didn't mention my mom died (at 85) in 2011 of a primary brain tumor and my brother died of kidney cancer at age 53 in 2005. My mom lived a week after diagnosis and my brother 3 or 4 months. I actually have one sister left who is 70. I am almost 62. Yes to various cancers in the extended family too. Thanks for the resources. I have been doing a lot of reading the last handful of months though due to other health issues I generally stick to medical articles, etc. I have seen the timelines for life expectancy are way off so thank you for that reminder. Because I am likely to have adenocarcinoma if diagnosed I am not too worried b/c of all I've read, including from survivors on some other sites. I think back to my dad who was diagnosed in 1975 when there were few treatments. They said he likely had lung cancer five years before diagnosed. With surgery and Cobalt treatments back then he lived 2 years. Blows my mind when I think about that so when I see all that is available today and how so many are doing I don't question that. Though... I do see some who do not fare well or for long.... I will check out the Lung Cancer 101 and blog before long. Haven't been awake long and have to get ready for work here soon : ) Thanks again, Lou!

Bob, Sorry to hear about the recurrence but glad you found us. Nodules that grow are definitely worth getting a biopsy and I understand that they want more mass so they can do a better job of getting the sample they need to test properly. The waiting is terrible and I remember feeling great anxiety during my initial diagnosis and especially when I was told to "wait 3 months" before the next scan. Needless to say I was not a happy camper. I'm so glad that you gave up the smoking. Regardless of the COPD I'm sure that your breathing is most likely better now than when you were active in the habit. That will be a help through this. Please keep us updated and feel free to ask any questions you want. We have a pretty large base of survivors on this site with a great variety of diagnosis and treatments so there is a lot of experience to share. You won't need to go through this alone. Lou

Hey everyone, I had my surgery on the 12th and I’m doing ok! They went in via thoracoscopy and saw that my upper lobe was significantly smaller than it should be (likely just a structural anomaly). So they had to go ahead and perform a mini thoracotomy and take out the entire lobe. It was really tough at the beginning but I was still able to get up and move around in the hospital and I went home after 3 days. Each day gets better and I’m thankful to have my brother in town to help. Thank you also to everyone who posted with encouragement and resources, it was all very helpful. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with sharp diaphragm spasms/pains? Is there anything to be done to lessen the pain and/or spasms or will they ease up with time? They were really bad in the beginning then subsided and have now started up again since increasing my amount of movement/time walking. -Dina

I've been away from the discussion and this may have resolved itself, but, frankly, I think your situation is completely unacceptable. I would strongly suggest you get yourself to a facility specializing in lung cancer. I see you're in Maryland-- you have to be near a reputable cancer center specializing in lung cancer. Yes, I'm emphasizing a place with a specialty in lung cancer. That's because our cancer field is exploding with new research and a generalist cannot stay on top of the new developments. All you need is a starting place. It's kind of like being a detective and may take a little effort on your part. I don't have any comments pro or con the following places, but they may be good first steps. Potential resources: two NCI-designated cancer centers in MD. You can find them here:https://www.cancer.gov/research/infrastructure/cancer-centers/find I also found a lung nodule clinic affiliated with U of MD, which may be worth checking out. https://www.umms.org/uch/health-services/cancer/cancer-services-and-treatment/lung Keep at this. Keep us posted!

Hello. I had a 1.2 cm round nodule in my RLL discovered in 2006. Had annual scans for 5 years and then forgot about it. Fast forward to 2020 (early) and that nodule had grown to the size of a lime. Upon reviewing my past surveillance scans I found that it had indeed been growing very slowly, but growing. No alarms were set off. Also the SUV uptake wasn't high but wasn't nothing at 1.8 My message is to not forget about it if you go the surveillance route. I ended up with 3 nodes involved and staged 3. Had a RLL VATs, chemo and radiation. Turned out to be Large cell NET (rare for LC) so the stats were scarce. They treated it as if it was small cell. I feel lucky to have had surgery because if it was known to be large cell protocol for surgery is sketchy. I would have it removed. I wish I had in 2006 (was given the option but doc suggesr a PET scan instead). Suffice it to say I was not a happy camper and made them very aware of that fact. Best of luck. Probably ok to go either way...if you keep cognizant it is there.

NYC Guy, You are in the small nodule, unreliable PET result zone. Now you have two choices: a CT scan 2 to 3 months from now to evaluate change in size and or shape, or surgery to obtain a biopsy. Depending on where the nodule is, anatomically, the surgeon may remove the entire lower lobe. I have no suggestion for how you might choose. Stay the course. Tom

Unfortunately a PET sucks at seeing early cancers. AIS and MIA lung cancers normally show way less than an SUV of 2 . I'd continue to follow the doctor's advise. Continued good luck to you. AIS and MIA Lung cancers have a 100% 5 year survival. AIS. Has a 100% 10 year survival if treated.

just want to send support, NYC! I'm new here and in a similar position. Rescan in early July.....

NYC Guy, Welcome here. The metastatic concern level increases markedly when pulmonary nodules change size or shape. At this juncture, one's only choice is how to biopsy. Your doctors are suggesting a surgical biopsy but there is another alternative--a needle biopsy. This avoids surgery and a 9mm nodule provides a large enough target to obtain a valid tissue sample for the pathologist's histological (microscope) examination. The PET scan may help you choose because if the scan shows high standard uptake value (SUV) results, malignancy can be presumed. But sometimes small nodules don't give reliable results. Here is information about the PET scan and SUV. If the PET scan does not validate malignancy, I'd explore a needle biopsy before agreeing to surgery. Stay the course. Tom

You're very welcome. Knowledge is a blessing to us who suffer from this terrible disease. I hope you'll stick around and get to know more of the good folks here. Lou

Hi Bob, and welcome. The waiting is just awful. It made my head spin. Hang in and keep us posted.

i was diagnosed stage iv about 18 months ago - lungs, lymph nodes and spine i've had no radiation chemo is carboplatin and alimta imuno is keytruda after 6-8 months pet scans began to come back clear - carboplatin was discontinued what amazed me was the treatments had few side effects - never had nausea - did not lose hair - no pain if they opt for chemo, it might not be as bad as you think - and hopefully, effective

Anthony, Sorry to hear about your cancer, but glad you found us. There are many others here like eDiveBuddy, who were diagnosed with advanced LC (lung cancer) and years later they are still here to share their story. The truth is LC is not the automatic death sentence it once was. Yes it is still the deadliest form of cancer and highly recurrent, but more work (curative, and control-based). My LC was caught at Stage 1 and was treated surgically. But there are folks here with many and varied diagnosis and journeys. In the meantime I’d ike to share a blog with you that was written by one of our own members. It is based on his receiving a diagnosis of Stage 3 over 20 years ago. That Stage 3 then became Stage 4 and he went through many treatments and recurrences and only a couple of years ago he was pronounced cured. He compiled a list of “10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; by a Survivor” and it can be found here. In addition, now is the time to learn as much as you can about your disease, diagnosis, and treatment. We have a section called “Lung Cancer 101” and that is found on this page. So please keep coming back. Ask questions, read other’s posts and learn all you can so you can manage this journey in a much better way. I pray you’ll be on the site for a long time to come. Lou

These are tough decisions! It is important whatever you decide you are comfortable with it... wishing you the best as you decide.

Pet scan came back with:: right lower lobe/lung base nodule with no appreciable uptake may represent an adenocarcinoma spectrum nodule. Notably, metabolic activity of small pulmonary lesions in this region may not be well evaluated due to diaphragmatic motion artifacts. I asked what the Dr said and they said they still advise removal and biopsy. Does this sound right from this indication above off my PET?

Just want to introduce myself. I'm still in differential for lung cancer diagnosis or whatever else this might be though told by local onc I likely have a slow growing lung cancer (assuming adenocarcinoma). I have changes on HRCT scans from 2015 and 2016 (done for other lung issues) compared to low dose CT Sept and Dec 2023. Pulm is from a large academic medical institution with NCI; local onc is from a small collaborative cancer center though not NCI. If diagnosed I'll have the large academic NCI take the lead - they're 4 hours away. No biopsy yet - I opted for rescan in early July 2024. Sept to Dec 2023 scans were fairly stable with multiple ground glass in all lobes with one solid and one that turn solid over these years. I'm no stranger to lung cancer. Lost my dad when he was 56 to lung cancer (likely adenocarcinoma); I was 13. Lost my older sister to lung cancer (she was 48) in 2004 (assuming small cell - she was gone in three months) and my younger sister to lung cancer in 2019. My younger sister had a rare neuroendocrine small cell lung cancer. Anyways, I'm just trying to learn more - I'm a big fan of health forums. I have many health issues, mostly due to autoimmune issues so frequent some health forums.

I do plan on sticking around, Lou! I'm a big fan of patient health forums. I learned so much initially about my two autoimmune conditions and then joined other related and unrelated sites to give back at a later point. As I said, I'm not actually diagnosed with lung cancer (yet) though local onc believes I have it. Hoping July scan offers clarity - So whether as a patient or caregiver, given family cancer and deaths, I'm passionate about any kind of cancer. This includes lung cancer forums more recently though long-term when it comes to my employment.....

Those were very informative and helpful articles, edive. Amazing on the rates of cure when LC is caught early. Thanks for sending these links! I appreciated the information you sent too, Lou... I looked at both areas this morning - thanks!

Welcome, Bob! I'm new here too and awaiting my 3rd scan in July so we're in somewhat similar "waiting patterns." I can't imagine how you're feeling today with your scan Monday. I find I'm wound tighter the week or so before a scan and then until I have results then it's a deep exhale. Wishing you the best with the scan Monday! Hope you get results, a call from your provider and then direction timely - that waiting is a different kind of hard.

Thanks so much, Karen and edive! I'll definitely keep you posted. I'll check out these links later today, edive - thank you!

https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.231988

Still haven't found the study. Here's a story that referred to it. Not a 20 year study had 100% survival in part solid tumor and only. Only 80% for solid tumors less than 1 cm found with early screening. Part solid tumors point to faster not necessarily fast growing tumors while part solid or ground glass nodules are associated with slow growth and longer term survival. https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2022/lung-cancer-screening-dramatically-increases-long-term-survival-rate

Being lungivity let me go find a 20 year study of early detection references solid vs part solid

Thank you Karen, Monday is almost here but I figure it would be a couple days after to get results from the fourth CT scan.

Thanks for your feedback on the solids and ground glass. I really appreciate your knowledge and you've (unfortunately) had so much experience. I think it is the smaller of the solids they are most concerned about - it changed quite a bit from 2016 to 2023 though is stable now. I guess I don't understand/know what you mean by solids being more dangerous even while the ground glass is more likely to be malignant. I really asking more about the former ( solids being more dangerous). Fortunately all of my nodules are small though there are like 7. Interesting on the multifocal and cure.... I've found a couple good articles.... Oh, I didn't realize you leaving Inspire was about the AI. I read those posts as several of you were going back and forth. I think I only commented on that post once other than after you left - then there was stirring about where you were/what happened, etc. I didn't realize that was the post that upset you - thought it was a different post though really didn't know. Well, I'm glad you landed here. Important you have a place to be AND others really benefit from your knowledge and experience! I'll likely stay here - as I said I'm still listed as active on Inspire though haven't been on there for a bit. When I'm posting a link to a very active and helpful disease community Inspire does NOT have (and a disease someone is struggling with) I should not be censored. I was shocked to be honest..... As I said I posted that link many times before on two other Inspire communities and no-one deleted anything until I posted it in the lung cancer community for a newbie with Sjogren's struggling with lung cancer treatment causing more severe dryness. It was a real ethical dilemma for me... I'm a rule follower though I'm on these sites to be of help and support to others once I learn a thing or two : ) so to not share a very helpful reputable site when I know it exists blew me away. I don't have much knowledge about lung cancer though I do in the other communities I was on there... and was often the first, sometimes the only, and often one of just three who responded to a newbie - I find this very sad though can't support that way of operating - it's not really about helping others then which is what I told the Mods... at least not as THE priority which is why I make such responses. Well, anyways, I'm glad I found this site. I'm such a fan of these health sites and wasn't sure if there was another quite active community for lung cancer out there. I'll have to spend some time learning my around the various posts, etc. I think there's more than what I realized here regarding posts.... I'll check out those areas Lou mentioned too. Thanks again, edive! Livin

Thanks, edive! I was on Inspire.... still active though haven't been on in some time. I heard you were either here or another site now and hoped to "bump into" you : ) Yes, VanCoerte and I exchanged a few posts not long after I posted there for the first time. I too wonder about multifocal. I could have had biopsy after last scan. One of my solid nodules is 11x8 mm. A ground glass is 9x6 mm. The one that turned solid was 8 mm in Sept 2023 and then 7 mm in Dec 2023 though such a small difference it could have actually not changed at all. The others are around 6 mm with one being 4 mm. Sadly I heard nothing from my pulm who ordered these CT's. I was to have a tele a couple weeks after the CT though they canceled and rescheduled for a few weeks after that which did not work for me.... etc. etc. So when I saw my onc (for other reasons -more a rheumatic hematology issue at this point) late January I asked her about scans. I had sent her the reports. She let me know she believes likely a slow growing cancer. I trust that even while I know a biopsy is the only way to really know. That evening I then heard from pulm via the portal - over a month after my scan. I think onc may have reached out to her. Given all was stable she was ok with me waiting until July for rescan which is what I wanted. It's 4 hours away and I just made 4 trips there in 4 months and did not want to drive again - I have other health issues and still work half time so..... Given all I've read I feel pretty ok with waiting until July for rescan. Need to get things in financial order too b/c I suspect they may want to do a resection as the biopsy which I've seen can result in a bigger surgery- thinking recovery time. Where the solids are (two different lobes - both right lung) there is also ground glass in both of the lobes.... It's just me so I don't have anyone else to rely on so just in case.... I need to have my ducks in a row. I don't worry a lot b/c I plan for what I can (then still worry some LOL). Thanks again for your reply!

Sounds like multi focal lung cancer. Very slow growing. Are you on inspire? VanCoerte there has been dealing with this for a couple decades. Like 4 wedge resections and 1 SBRT treatment over the years. It's nearly impossible to biopsy a tumor with less than an 8 mm solid component. They used to wait till it was 10 mm but many will try a biopsy now at 8. There is of course a surgical biopsy but that's pretty extreme.

Thank you Lou, I will remember that. I go for another CT Monday so we shall see.

Dina, I'm so glad to hear that your surgery went well and that your recovery is going well. The spasms and pains are truly a pain in the butt. Some of that really has to do with muscles and nerves healing after the surgery. You may even have some ongoing nerve pain (itching and burning) at the sites of incisions. For those I recommend asking your doctor for Gabapentin. On the other side the more you can use the spirometer that more you do it the more benefits you'll see. Doing the exercises multiple times a day will help; clear your lungs for better breathing, strengthen your muscles to reduce spasms and increase blood flow for healing. Also move as much as you can comfortably do. I found that the more I moved (uncomfortable as it was) the better I felt. Try to keep your pain levels down as well. When you have less pain you're more apt to move and regain strength and flexibility. Please continue to keep us updated and I'm very happy you are doing well. Lou

Hi Denise, Wondering if your pain ever subsided? I had a 2.5×2.5 cm nodule removed in May of 2023 and am still in pain. I have resisted opiods thus far because they scare me, but gabapentin is just not cutting it anymore. Finding incredibly difficult to concentrate and function at all. Thanks, Jason

I am 46 year old Chinese female diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. I started chemotherapy and Tagrisso. So far I have done two rounds of chemo. My most recent brain MRI shows the brain mass shrinking from 6mm to 3mm. My lab metrics are all trending down, some dropping below normal ranges. I wonder if I should continue chemo therapy (2 more rounds remaining).

Hi Stephanie and welcome here. Edive buddy is right that expecting blood levels to stay the same isn't realistic. Neutrophils- white blood cells that fight infections- especially take a beating, My lung cancer was stage 1a and I didn't need chemo., but 12 years ago I had a different cancer that was stage 3 and aggressive. Chemo caused my neutrophil count to dip and the second time it went to zero, an emergency situation. I was given antibiotics to stop possible bacterial infections . After subsequent infusions I had neupogen, given by injection, and it kept my neutrophils from crashing again. I also had an infusion of packed red blood cells when anemia reached a dangerous level. My treatment was 12 years ago and I have been NED (no evidence of disease) since. My point is that if blood levels of anything reach a dangerous level, there's usually some action that can be taken to remedy the situation- medication, biologicals, supplements, postponing your infusion until the level rises, etc. It usually isn't a reason to discontinue a regimen that's working. Advanced cancer of any kind is life-threatening and treatment often needs to be aggressive to control it. So hang in there, talk to your oncologist about the significance of each level that's low, and what if anything needs to be done about it. Hang in there and I wish you a long and meaningful life. Bridget O

Sorry you're dealing with this and so very young. Too young to be giving up while therapy is working. The addition of chemotherapy to tagrisso reduces the risk of recurrence by 38%. For tagrisso that's huge. You have a very good chance of managing this disease for a long time. especially if you can get it into full remission. Chemotherapy is doing that for you. If you expect to have your blood numbers to be normal it's not realistic. The doctors are really good at figuring out your numbers and what they mean or if there's a problem. And if there is, stopping treatment is usually NOT the first or prudent choice. I did 7 rounds of chemo. My blood numbers were NEVER in the normal ranges. Twice we had to delay my infusions to take care of problems but we continued. I achieved a full remission over 3 years ago. Stage IV. END Stage presentation with cutaneous metastasis. Additional metastasis' to the brain neck and liver. Plus stage 3 poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck just because the lung cancer wasn't bad enough.

Sorry you find yourself with this diagnosis. Nearly 4 years ago I was diagnosed with stage IV NSCLC spread to my brain neck liver and skin. Because of the skin Mets I was not given long even if treatments worked. I may be a tad Slower and a little worse for wear but I'm here. Living life and enjoying myself as before. A few extra appointments throughout the year nothing that interferes that much. You can read some of my story here. I have not finished catching up. But it will give you a good idea. This is by far from a death sentence . The goal is to manage it until the next treatment or cure becomes available.

moment with this disease. As usual my wonderful support system is available to help when ever I need them. In the meantime I continue creating goals to live for and experience with my family. Non are exotic or from any made up bucket list. However every goal I reach becomes a memory for me and my family to hold on to forever. They provide me the will to go forward and face the days I can survive knowing what this disease is known to do to many of us with this diagnosis

Kamoto, NED on your chest and abdomen-- WOW! What a wonderful result. I don't have experience with a sore that doesn't heal. It reminds me of old TV commercials about when to check with your doctor, which you're doing. May I, with a little gentle humor, remind you of your last foray into self-diagnosis? Not a fun time. I'm selfishly glad you told us about this-- I've had a weird thing on my arm that I really should get checked out. Ugh. Maybe I need to make an appointment with the dude who did the MOHS surgery on my nose (for some skin cancer.) So, thanks. I hate calling more doctors, really hate. But ya gotta do what you gotta do. So, thanks. And I'll be thinking of you. Please keep us posted. K

Hi all, just checking how your all doing, sincerely hope your all ok, things still very raw here , my daughter in law and 4 four grandchildren have fallen out with me and Micky (Jus’s sister) and her two children, it’s heartbreaking 💔We’ve been denied any of his ashes so have nothing to show he ever existed for 52 years except photos and memories , still that’s not why I’ve posted, I check up on you all regularly as Jus would have wanted me too as this place was very special to him as you all were too, I hope life’s treating you all as well as it can, I’m hoping that we will both feel better one day but I’m not holding out much hope, he was such a special person to us as we were and are a very close unit, the hole we now have in our hearts is immeasurable but the love carries on and will never die, take care of yourselves and keep those loved ones close, love and hugs to you all and keep up that wonderful strength you all have, catch up again soon Xx love Izzy xx

Arisa, Welcome here! Before I comment on options, I want to complement you and your mom on diagnostics tracking her nodule. That is, in all cases, the right thing to do. Mom's TB complicates an answer about options. TB can often produce lung nodules and even these can change (or not) year over year. In fact, your mom's 1mm progression is so small it might be lost in the accuracy range of the CT equipment. Consider two things--7mm is the size of a typical camera on a modern cell phone and this makes it a hard target for successful needle biopsy (to Lou's point), and small nodules if metastatic often do reliably produce SUV uptake so a PET scan can be problematic. I'd ask a thoracic surgeon, interventional pulmonologist, or interventional radiologist about the possibility of a successful guided transthoracic needle biopsy for a definitive diagnosis. Here is some information about needle biopsies. And here is information about pulmonary nodules. If her practitioners decline to perform a biopsy, keep on tracking things with a CT. One more thing. I've survived 18 years after diagnosis and my yearly monitoring scans still show nodules. I call them my "phantom" nodules because they appear and disappear randomly. To retain my sanity, I use the diagnosing radiologists report about location and chart them on a spreadsheet. So far, nothing new. Just a waxing and waning of nodules scan after scan. Why? Who knows! Stay the course. Tom

Arisa, Welcome to our forum. So, your mom has a nodule that has grown, but is still very small. At this point your doctor may decide to do some additional testing. Perhaps a PET scan to see if any of the nodule "lights up" indicating it may be cancerous and if there are any other areas of concern throughout your mom's body. But, at the end of the day, a biopsy will need to be performed as that is really the gold standard of testing nodules. If for any reason a needle biopsy is not possible a "liquid biopsy" via a blood test may be able to be performed. One way or another more testing is needed so the doctors can properly determine if the nodule is cancerous or not and if there might be any spread to other areas. With all the diagnostics done your doctor will then present your mom with options ranging from surgery alone to many other forms of treatment for the cancer. Once you have all the test results you can sit down with your doctor and really discuss the best options. After you do that please share here and you'll surely find people who have had the same or similar treatments and they will be able to share their experiences with you. Meanwhile one of our members wrote a great piece called, "10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; by a Survivor" and it can be found here. Lou

This will be long so sit back relax and say I CAN DO THIS: 1. Had a long talk with the lord of course one sided, he choose not to speak. I explained that this cancer thing was alot bigger than I could handle and ask him to handle it. Said Lord, I know if I die that I will wake up and be in heaven and attend a real big family reuinon and I thought that was great. If I wake up here thats OK too. I have my wife, family, friends, my horses, dogs, cats, and maybe I can help someone else so you handle this. My promise to him was I would always talk to someone everyday about the lord, someone everyday about their cancer (not mine), and I would encourage people to quit smoking like me(3 weeks before I was told I had cancer). Well a friend gave me a coin with a cross on one side and the prayer from Mark on the other that said: With God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Well I carried this coin in my pocket at all times and when I was scared, nervous, or unsure I would rub that coin between my fingers until I remembered that my faith was stronger than the cancer.Today I buy those coins by the box and pass one out everytime I go somewhere. Especially when I go and visit at oncology ward. 2. I had to realize that I wasnt punished just bad luck. I went to the hospital for radiation and chemo and I would sit in the lobby at Brook Army Medical Center and watch people come in without legs, arms, young kids from Iraq with their faces nose, ears burnt off. And I mean off. They are 19 and 20 and will walk the rest of their life with these marks. Hm can you see my cancer. Nope. So I would make it a habit to sit and talk with them over lunch and let them know that its whats inside that counts and again, the lord will take care of them. 3. Well after my pity thing was over I began to start a new life, a life with cancer living inside of me. Now you have a choice here: Let the cancer control your life or you control the cancers life. By now you know what I did.. 4. Now here is the plain facts and its so simple. I raise horses and cattle and I remembered a old saying of mine. Have you ever seen a fat cow die. NOPE. The skinny ones do all the time. So here I am with a fried throat from radiation and cant eat and the doc's want to put a tube in my belly. Hm, again not a chance that this is going to happen so for 4 1/2 months while I couldnt eat solid food I drank 4-5 ice cream shakes a day, bowls and bowls of ice cream, Nestle's milks of banana's, vanilla, 3-4 cans of boost and I went from 165 to 210 during that 4 months. Also and here is a biggie hint, I ate a half watermelon everyday. Has that old vitamin (Lycopene) that doc's are now figuring out that helps fight cancer. Gave me the water I needed also and is a natural stool softner for me and I love ice cream and watermelon so seemed like a wise idea to me. LOL. Boost has many many vitamins in it so that really helps. Now while I am talking about vitamins I asked my onc, if I take vitamins during chemo can you for sure tell me that the vitamins will not help to heal cancer cells like it does good cells. He said and I quote, no, I cant tell you for sure that it will not help cancer cells to come back. Well, Boost is made to help your system with vitamins so that is all I used. After chemo stopped yes then I went on to a multi-vitamin called Miracle 2000 wich just seem to have a good balance but also had high seleium which is good to fight cancer cells. Got it at GNC. During chemo you do not want to eat thin skin fruit. Like apples, grapes, and such. The dirt and pesticides can lay under the skin so if you have to eat them make sure they are cooked. Eat lots of bananas, cantalope, watermelon and thick skinned fruit. All meat should be well done and please eat more fish than red meat. When your counts are down from chemo you can get any infection there is and then some. After I could eat I had plenty of cottage cheese with green olives. Lots of salads, veggies, carrots, and made up for 53 years of not eating veggies LOL my mom loved it. 5. Drink one gallon of water everyt day. Each time you drink a glass think to yourself I am washing my cancer away. I am washing my cancer away. Positive mind picks up where the oncs leave off. I told myself that Cancer was a temporary inconvience and I believed it. 6. Lots and lots of green tea. Hot with orange blossom honey in it. Very tasty. Would drop a peppermint or spearmint candy in it now and then. At night I couldnt sleep like most of you so I would have a big cup of sleepy time tea then take my sleeping pill. Well after awhile you condition your body to go hmmmm sleepy time tea , lights out. Got off the sleeping pills that way. Condition your mind and body to work for you not the cancer. They also have a Lipton Green Tea out now. Its a cold drink that has citrus in it and is very tasty. Remember Green Tea, GOOD. 7. Your body heals best when you sleep so sleep away. I would get up in the morning so I could go lay on sofa and take a nap. Buy a big screen TV and rent lots and lots of movies. Take care of yourself, make yourself the number one priority in your life for a change. When you get better you can pick up where you left off or maybe change your life altogether. 8. A pet is always a good caregiver. Will lay with you and give you something in your heart that will comfort you 24/7. 9. Walking. When you can force yourself to walk and help them muscles. My wife and I would walk miles and miles when I could get up. Better to throw up outside than in the house anyway. By the way, after all this I am not on oxygen either and I believe its cause I walked alot even when it hurt. Well in closing this is not a commercial, ad or a must do. This is what I did cause I wanted too. I might die from a truck, a horse bucking me off, maybe a heart attack but I WILL NOT DIE FROM CANCER. Take care and God Bless, Don Feel free to ask me a question but ask it here where everyone can read it.