moodah13 Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 My husband had a bronchoscopy today with preliminary results being right middle lobe cancerous tumor(two days wait on pathology report). He has had numerous xrays and a basic CAT scan already.My question is, if the bronchoscopy and the biopsies reveal lung cancer, why would my husband need an additional CAT scan with IV contrast? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 i amgoing to give you our link for Dr West Our resident volunteer Oncologist. MAny of us ahve "Dual" memberships and Dr west can probably better answer this as he is a Licensed practicing Oncologist out of Swedish Institue in Seattle Washington. His responses are swift and very down to Earth. Please do ont feel as though thisis abrush off bbut an additional tool for research. WE provide the prayers and support and Dr West Provides the medical advice! Click on the link below to be redirected to His site and it is also a free site much like ours! http://cancergrace.org/ Thoughts and Prayers for you and Husband tonite and always. Keep us posted and get to know us we are very understanding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moodah13 Posted July 15, 2008 Author Share Posted July 15, 2008 Thank you Randy for the link, as you can tell I am new, learning and full of questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 I was too Once so.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 As Randy mentioned checking with Dr. West can give you a great deal of profesional information. However I can give you my personal experiance. When I was diagnosed I first had a chest Xray that showed there maybe something there.... a CT gives then a little clearer picture...a CT with contrast clears it up even more...if it follows the same as many here next will be a PET scan that really narrows down where suspected cancer may be.Each diagnostic tool helps gather information that when all put together helps then plan a course of action.Sounds to me like they are taking pretty much the normal sequence of things..at least in my case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Hi, welcome to the group! I was writing up a response suggesting you check with Dr. West, but got distracted and when I got back to the computer saw that Randy had beat me to it. I'll be watching for your question on cancergrace.org and the reply, which you should see in less than 24 hours from Dr. West or possibly Dr. Laskin. It's an amazing resource, as you'll see when you visit. Best wishes to you and your husband, and give us more details when you can. Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Sometimes broncoscopy's and other tests are inconclusive, so other tests are used, such as a PET or CT with contrast to get a better idea of the percentage a nodule is cancerous. Unfortunately no test is 100%, unless a good sample is taken for a biopsy. I believe that a CT w/ contrast will give the density of the nodule. If the measurement is less than 15 Hounsfield units it is less likely cancerous. This could be wrong so as other people said ask Dr West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaroleHammett Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 My experience was the same as Dave's; i.e., first the chest xray (CXR), followed by CT scan, CT scan with contrast and bronchoscopy (I don't recall the exact order of the last two), and then finally a PET scan. Once it had been determined that I had lymph node involvement, a brain MRI and liver function tests were also ordered to determine if I had metastasis to brain or liver (no tests needed for metastasis to bone as I had no pain, which is usually first sign). These are "standard" tests, but they are also very important because the results determine the state of the disease and the stage determines the treatment recommendations. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bette64 Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I had a routine chest xray that showed a suspicious spot on the lower left lung. I then had a CTscan with contrast which was followed up by a PETscan. My doctor told me the PETscan will sometimes show if any lymph nodes are involved. Best wishes, Bette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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