RickinFla

Thanks to everyone who posted. I see my pulmonologist Wednesday morning and my oncologist that afternoon to discuss these findings as well as some additional, but equally equivocal findings in my gut from that PET scan. BTW, I've had my pulmonologist for 14 years now after Lupus (SLE) went after my lungs so it was easy to get in with him and it's not like it's my first rodeo with the "lung doctor." Hopefully, we'll develop a reasonable course of action for both issues. Tom, thank you for the informative links and we'll have to see how this whole thing plays out. . Rick

If I may, I would like to weigh on this topic with my own question. Please bear with me as there is some necessary backstory, although I will try to keep it short. I'm a five-year Stage IV colon cancer survivor so I have regular PET and CT scans and I've been NED for four years now. On 9/7/2016 I had a PET scan. There were no abnormalities noted in the report, but because of some equivocal results in my abdomen, we decided to redo the scan "in a few months." We did another scan on Feb. 23, 2017 and resolved the equivocal results in my abdomen and once more there was nothing reported in my lung. Because I complained of some chronic pain in my abdomen, the onc. decided to do another scan which was done last Thursday June 29. Again, there was no report of problems in my abdomen. And, now we come to why I'm here. The radiologist referring to my lungs reported, "Stable irregular 1.0 cm nodule in the posterior right upper lobe is minimally metabolic with SUV max 1.6 with no additional nodules, infiltrates, effusions or metabolic lung findings." I haven't spoken with my oncologist yet, because the results are posted online in a "medical chart software program" that patients can access. I'm wondering what your reaction to this finding of a "Stable irregular 1.0 cm nodule in the posterior right upper lobe is minimally metabolic with SUV max 1.6 with no additional nodules, infiltrates, effusions or metabolic lung findings" might be. I'm also wondering whether you all know if a radiologist can determine if a new finding, remember no nodules have ever been previously reported in my lung, is stable with just one data point. If, in fact, there was no nodule in my previous PET of Feb. 23 that means the nodule grew from 0 to 1 cm in four months which seems fast to me. Also, it's metabolically active but only minimally. I've read they really can't biopsy something so small safely and we might have to wait a while to see if it grows. Again, I would appreciate your thoughts in general and specifically whether we need to move fast to biopsy this nodule remembering it was found on PET with minimal FDG Avidity of SUV max of 1.6. Also, I would appreciate any information on lung cancer survivorship that is more up-to-date than the published stats.

If I may, I would like to weigh on this topic with my own question. Please bear with me as there is some necessary backstory, although I will try to keep it short. I'm a five-year Stage IV colon cancer survivor so I have regular PET and CT scans and I've been NED for four years now. On 9/7/2016 I had a PET scan. There were no abnormalities noted in the report, but because of some equivocal results in my abdomen, we decided to redo the scan "in a few months." We did another scan on Feb. 23, 2017 and resolved the equivocal results in my abdomen and once more there was nothing reported in my lung. Because I complained of some chronic pain in my abdomen, the onc. decided to do another scan which was done last Thursday June 29. Again, there was no report of problems in my abdomen. And, now we come to why I'm here. The radiologist referring to my lungs reported, "Stable irregular 1.0 cm nodule in the posterior right upper lobe is minimally metabolic with SUV max 1.6 with no additional nodules, infiltrates, effusions or metabolic lung findings." I haven't spoken with my oncologist yet, because the results are posted online in a "medical chart software program" that patients can access. I'm wondering what your reaction to this finding of a "Stable irregular 1.0 cm nodule in the posterior right upper lobe is minimally metabolic with SUV max 1.6 with no additional nodules, infiltrates, effusions or metabolic lung findings" might be. I'm also wondering whether you all know if a radiologist can determine if a new finding, remember no nodules have ever been previously reported in my lung, is stable with just one data point. If, in fact, there was no nodule in my previous PET of Feb. 23 that means the nodule grew from 0 to 1 cm in four months which seems fast to me. Also, it's metabolically active but only minimally. I've read they really can't biopsy something so small safely and we might have to wait a while to see if it grows. Again, I would appreciate your thoughts in general and specifically whether we need to move fast to biopsy this nodule remembering it was found on PET with minimal FDG Avidity of SUV max of 1.6. Also, I would appreciate any information on lung cancer survivorship that is more up-to-date than the published stats. Thanks, Rick