I'm a 58 year old woman who has never smoked but was exposed to second-hand smoke as a child growing up with two chain smokers. I've had respiratory problems all my life including one bout of pneumonia and recurring bronchitis. Within the past 6 months, it seems I've had a continuous cough and bronchitis so I saw a pulmonologist for the first time. He recommended at CT scan which showed a 3 cm mass that looked very cloud-like to me. He recommended a navigational bronchoscopy for a biopsy. I just met with him and he said that the pathologists identified some atypical cells but the diagnosis for cancer is inconclusive. He said that since there is so much inflammation in my lung it's hard to tell because sometimes infection can cause changes in cells that look like cancer. He put me on augmentin and scheduled me for a PET/CT scan in a couple of weeks. He said that if it's just an infection, the size of the lesion should decrease and the PET should be able to confirm if it's cancer. Of course I'm very concerned. I had hoped to have a conclusive diagnosis one way or the other from the biopsy. Is my doctor correct about infection causing atypical cells? Is it unusual for a biopsy to be inconclusive like this?
Thanks!
Inconclusive Lung Biopsy - 1258507
tishjennings
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Reply # - August 7, 2013, 07:04 PM
Reply To: Inconclusive Lung Biopsy
From the Mayo clinic: "Atypical cells are cells that appear abnormal under a microscope, but they aren't necessarily cancerous. The presence of atypical cells is sometimes referred to as "dysplasia." Many factors can make normal cells appear atypical, including inflammation and infection." Was it 3cm or 3mm? Doing a follow-up PET/CT after antibiotics should give you more info. Though only a biopsy can confirm cancer. Wishing you the best. Take care, Judy
Reply # - August 7, 2013, 10:14 PM
Reply To: Inconclusive Lung Biopsy
It's not rare to have an inconclusive biopsy. And when we have ambiguous imaging findings, it's very reasonable to try to treat a potential underlying infection and follow the lesion over time to see if it improves. If it doesn't improve, then a repeat biopsy can often provide more insight.
Good luck.
-Dr. West
Reply # - August 8, 2013, 04:33 AM
Reply To: Inconclusive Lung Biopsy
Thank you both for your prompt reply! It is 3cm. I just got an email from my sister who has had very similar lung problems. She said she had a similar scare a few years ago and the lesion went away after a course of antibiotics. I'm glad that this is a strong probability! I'll try to keep my mind off it while I wait for the antibiotics to do their work and I'll let you know what the PET/CT scan shows. I guess it's good to get a scan like this at my age anyway to get a good baseline of my overall physical condition.