Matt Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 A CT scan back in November 2020 caught two nodules that ended up being malignant after a biopsy. Her first nodule is in the left lung and is 1.8cm. This was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma and her second one in her right one is 1cm and is also adenocarcinoma. However, we met with her doctor yesterday and he believes this is a unique and rare case because he believes these are two different cancers and did not metastasize. Her PET scan shows that these nodules are contained in the lungs. His treatment plan is to giver her an MRI to ensure the cancer isn’t in the brain, take tissue from her chest lymph nodes to ensure there isn’t cancer there, and ensure her heart can handle surgery. The doctor would like to remove the cancer in her left lung (if all the above pass) and then 6 weeks later remove the one in her right lung. My question is has anyone been through anything like this? If so, what can I do to help her prepare. I’m am praying that the cancer is not in her lymph nodes or brain so we can start treatment through surgery. My life felt like it came crashing down after this news back in November but I’ve learned to be strong and be in my moms corner. Any advice would help tremendously and I am thankful I found this group. If more information is needed, please let me know and I can try to provide it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Hi Matt and welcome. Sorry about your Mom's diagnostics and hopefully the doctors will have the situation under control. First of all the good news is that the cancer is operable and that's the best solution for treating cancer. The question remains is why doesn't the doctor confirm exactly what type of cancer your Mom has after performing the biopsy? Also do you know if they performed a biomarker test to look for mutation? Granted the nodules are not very large but why the long wait (since November 2020) to do the second biopsy and MRI? It is good to be calm especially when you don't have all the facts but it is uncommon to wait this long unless she was receiving treatment. I wish you the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Hi Matt, Ditto on what Gary said. It sounds like you are very close with your Mom. I am 62 and have stage IV Non small cell lung cancer. My youngest daughter who is 37 is my rock and I don’t know what I’d do without her! She’s more help to me than my husband. I forget though how hard it is on her to be that rock! Just like my daughter, being strong for your Mom means more than you know and is vital to her fighting this. How old is your Mom? I am with Gary on the fact that they seem to be waiting so long. I couldn’t have surgery and if your Mom is a good candidate for it, I would certainly think the sooner the better. The fact that she can have surgery is very encouraging. There are many on here who have had surgery and they can better answer your questions about how to help her prepare. Welcome and ask as many questions as you want. Keep us posted and don’t forget to take care of yourself, Babs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Matt, Welcome from Warren Michigan. I know the area well for I once commanded the Army Tank Plant at the Detroit Arsenal (11 Mile and Van Dyke). First I'd like to point out that your mother's surgeon is being very aggressive with your mother's treatment approach, and that is a good thing. A tumor in each lung land's one at Stage IV and surgery is normally off the table at Stage IV. Surgery remains the best curative treatment for lung cancer. If surgery turns out to not be feasible, then broker a consultation with a radiation oncologist to see if precision radiation (sometimes substituted for surgery) can safely be performed. Gary's council is wise--your mom's biopsy material should be sent to a laboratory for determination for targeted therapy and immunotherapy treatments. Even if surgically removed or zapped by precision radiation, lung cancer has a nasty habit of recurring. And if it recurs, it would be nice to know if the "wonder drugs" are treatment alternatives. During the dwell time, you should encourage your mother to find a medical oncologist she is comfortable with. After surgery, that discipline will monitor screening scans to catch a recurrence early. As for surgery, here are tips and tricks for preparation and after care courtesy of Lou. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJM Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Welcome Matt. I am guessing you are my Reddit buddy? I hope finding this site helps you as it has so many others and you find it valuable. I'm pretty confident you will. I have had a lobectomy my self. A little over a year ago. I was a pest on here asking so many questions (just kidding). It is a topic that comes up often. Not sure what motivated Lou, but he came up with this list awhile back. I can attest to it's accuracy and utility. It is a spot on list. But this site offers so much more. Wishing you and your mother the best. Welcome again. Peace Tom PS. Thanks Lou! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share Posted February 24, 2021 Hello Everyone, Thank you very much for the replies and I am glad I have found this forum. Gary- I agree with the long wait and it has been a tough couple of months to be honest. However, they did diagnose her nodules as adenocarcinoma. We had a call with the doctor a week ago and he thinks that the cancer did not metastasize because her PET scan came back negative for her lymph nodes in the mediastinum region. His reasoning is that the cancer does not normally metastasize by crossing over the center part of the lung. I hope this makes sense because all of this is pretty new to me and I am learning as we go. Today she went in for a Mediastinoscopy with lymph node biopsy and a Bronchoscopy to confirm this finding. The doctor said if that and the MRI come back negative, she will receive a Thoracoscopy on March 12 to remove the left lung nodule. She will then go back to remove the right one in 6 weeks. I believe this is the best case scenario from what I am understanding. Babs- Thank you for the response and I wish you the best. Your situation with your daughter sounds very similar to my situation with my mom. My mom is 60 years old and I am 32. My other siblings have moved out of state and I am right around the corner from her. I am in her corner and will be helping her fight with whatever approach she decides to take. I join her calls with the doctor and try to understand what is going on the best I can for her. She is the strongest woman I know and I want to be there for her like she has been there for me all of my life. Tom - Hi neighbor! Yes, I am very familiar with Detroit Arsenal. I live about 7 or 8 miles away from there! I agree with the aggressiveness of his treatment plan. Normally, (from what I have read and understand) that a metastasize cancer in both lungs is a stage IV and is not treatable by surgery. However, he believes this is not the case (from the PET scan) and is going to confirm that through a Mediastinoscopy with lymph node biopsy which was done today. I pray that comes back negative. He brought her case to the "Tumor" board at Beaumont hospital because he referred to it as a unique or rare case. She is scheduled for a thoracoscopy on March 12th if this biopsy comes back negative. Thank you for the link to Lou's tips. TJM- Yes, I have come from reddit. Actually, your post brought me to this website, so I thank you for that. The tips from Lou have really helped me out. I was under the impression my mom would receive a lobectomy but it seems she is scheduled for a thoracoscopy on the 12th if everything goes well with her biopsy. I wonder what kind of surgery she will have on her right lung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Cornett Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 Hi Matt and welcome. You've already received lots of good information from others. If the surgeon is able to use minimally invasive procedures, that will speed up the recovery phase. Given COVID and the tail end of flu season, try to keep her away from others as much as possible. She is lucky to have you in her corner. Keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouT Posted February 25, 2021 Share Posted February 25, 2021 Hi Matt, As you've already heard; surgery is a great part of the lung cancer arsenal. Since she is going to be going through two surgeries you may want to read up on some tips and tricks you can use to help her before, during the hospital stay and at home recovering. You can find those here. In the meantime please keep us updated and ask any questions that you want. As you can see there are plenty of folks here with broad experience. Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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