Newly diagnosed a few days ago

[PK2]

Hello,

I was just dx’d with a 1.5 cm cavitary Adenocarcinoma of my RLL. I still am in shock and scared beyond words. My sister who is a year younger than I am is fighting stage IV colon cancer at a renowned hospital. Does anyone have any info on cavitary vs non cavitary lesions for prognosis? So far, there is no nodal involvement and I am scheduled for a brain MRI and a PetScan this month. All of your stories are of courage and positivity and I love that. Thank you for allowing me on this forum.

[Running Girl]

Hi, and welcome.  I don't know much about cavitary vs non-cavitary lesions, so can't speak on that.  but I was diagnosed with a 1.1 cm Adenocarcinoma of my RLL at end of August, 2022.  I had a small area of invasiveness in the same lobe, and negative nodes.  That's a stage 1, as I expect yours might be too.  Did you have a lobectomy or wedge resection?  

So far, I am NED (No Evidence of Disease) at 9 months post-diagnosis.  I did not require chemo or radiation, and since I have a history of smoking, I wasn't tested for targetted therapy. The 6 month CT scan (neck to knees) was negative.  The surgery itself was difficult for me.  The initial 6 weeks after the lobectomy were difficult, with many after-effects from the surgery including nausea, pain, low energy, bloating, a cough and shortness of breath.  Most everything bad was gone by 6 wks.   I still have some shortness of breath when i exercise or on "bad air quality" days.  I had a month of physical therapy to regain strength and stamina which helped enormously.  

It's normal to be in shock and scared, but lung cancer isn't necessarily the beast it used to be.  

[PK2]

Thanks so much @Running Girl. I have not had surgery yet. I have to, have the scans first to make sure there is no other sneaky CA. You have made me feel better and it sounds like you’re a rock star! I’m at a great hospital so I feel good about that. Again thx for the inspiration. 🙂 Still would like to know about the cavitary issue because most lung nodules are solid. Did anyone else have this type. Thx in advance.

[Susan Cornett]

Hi - 

Glad you found us. You'll likely hear from a couple of other people who will provide links to great information. I don't have answers to your question, but I offer hope. I was diagnosed with stage IV 7 years ago. I'm still here. 😁

[Tom Galli]

PK2,

Welcome here.

Sorry, I missed your first post. I don't have knowledge about cavitary versus noncavitary lesion outcomes. In fact, I had to do a little reading to determine what a cavitary lesion was. Here is what I found.

I'm not a physician so I can't offer you a definitive opinion but the cavitary nomenclature describes the shape or appearance of the lesion. I don't believe lesion shape or appearance in a scan affects outcomes. Although you don't mention it, you likely had a biopsy of the lesion because you report adenocarcinoma, and it would be my guess that your disease will be treated like adenocarcinoma regardless of how it looks in a scan.

So assuming the PET and MRI scans do not show any involvement, you may be considered an early find (Stage I or II) and a surgical or precision radiation candidate. Here is some information on lung cancer staging.

Susan makes a persuasive case. I'll add my evidence to hers. I was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer nearly 20 years ago and I'm still here. We are all hoping for good news about your PET and MRI. Please let us know about those outcomes.

Stay the course.

Tom

 

[LouT]

PK2

You're already getting some good information.  Let me share a couple more useful things for you to look at.

1. "Thoracic Surgery Tips and Tricks":  The information here will help you prepare for your surgery, get through the hospital stay, and speed up your recovery.  It is on this page.
2. "10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; from a Survivor":  Invaluable information for you to refer to as you embark on this journey.  It can be found here.

In addition to the blogs please don't go to "Dr. Google" to look for stats, prognosis, and longevity.  Much of the data is a five-year average and doesn't reflect the most recent advances in treatments.  Additionally, although we all have some similarities each case is unique to that person, their stage, present health, and other details.  These things are not considered in the projected numbers online.  Just know that Lung Cancer is not the automatic death sentence that it once was.  I was diagnosed and had my surgery in May 2019 and as of my last annual scan (last August) I was NED (No Evidence of Disease).  So, there is much to hope for and treatment improves at a constant pace.  So, stay around, ask questions and get to know us.  It is a great group of people here.

Lou