CT Results // Unsure what to think

[Unicorn]

Hi all, 

I am writing because there is a lot of confusion in my family right now. My father is 80 years old and is a two time cancer survivor - in 2004, he was diagnosed with stage 2B colorectal cancer, he had the tumor removed and chose not to have chemo or radiation. In 2007, was diagnosed with stage 2B prostate cancer, they removed his prostate and did not have further treatment. He is very health, works out every day, active, social, eats healthy, non-smoker but unfortunately, his family is plagued with a history of cancer. This winter, he began coughing a lot and has wheezing when breathing. He finally asked the doctor for a chest x-ray where they "found something." He was then referred to get a CT scan, which revealed a 1.8cm nodular opacity in the right middle lobe of his lung. I also want to note that in 2011 (when doctors released him from follow up care to monitor a recurrence from his previous cancer), the nodule was 0.4cm in size.

We have been put on the wait list for a PET scan but, in the meantime, we don't know what to think. I also want to add that the current CT scan says that along the nodule, shows an air bronchogram. We don't know if this is a good or bad thing. If anyone can shed some light while we wait for further testing, it would be greatly appreciated. I heard there was a testing calculator to measure the likelihood of this nodule being cancerous in the time it has grown but cannot seem to find it. 

I am doing a lot of research but, again, if anyone has some suggestions or insight, it would be more than helpful. I pray for everyone in this forum as I, too, have had to face ovarian cancer.

Thank you in advance for your time.

 

[LexieCat]

Well, I just googled it, and it sounds like a bronchogram can be caused by a number of lung conditions.  How long does he have to wait for a PET scan?

Apparently there are also some lung cancers out there that are so slow-growing that they are not considered life-threatening.  Is there any talk about a biopsy?

[Unicorn]

He is getting it in a week or so - we just don't know if this is the same nodule as the previous .4cm that came up in 2011.