My husband, age 67, is a lifelong smoker who finally quit last May. He was diagnosed with COPD/emphysema. Last month he had a "routine" chest CT w/contrast but the results were a shock. They'd known about a 5 mm nodule, unchanged for years. This time there was a "new left apical 3.4 cm pleural based mass" and a "new right middle lobe 1.0 cm bilobed nodule." There is also a new 3 mm nodule, lower left lobe. Old 5 mm nodule and changes from emphysema remain stable. (He has moderate stage COPD, hadn't been bothered terribly by it.)
His PCP sent him immediately to a pulmonologist and we met with this doctor the other day. He pointed to the mass on CT film and he believes it's cancer. As he has experience and good credentials, we didn't argue. I asked if there was any other possibility, and he said yes, but it seemed remote. He's ordering a PET scan to investigate further, was already talking about surgery if indicated.
I was treated for breast cancer in 2002 so I'm pretty well up on that, but as I lost my father to lung cancer years ago, I have little knowledge of it. His was diagnosed very late and treatment was of no help.
What kind of doctor will we need for a second opinion after we hear again from the pulmonologist, this after the PET scan is done? If this doctor recommends surgery, do we want a second pulmonologist's opinion? Do we want to interview surgeons? Oncologists? What specialty do we need here? We're comfortable with this doctor and the group in which he works, but there's no room for error.
We're in the suburbs of New York City, can check out Sloan Kettering if needed though my husband hates going into the city, prefers our nearby community hospitals.
Thank you in advance.
Lynn