Since being diagnosed with lung cancer all of mt scans have shown what the radiologists suspects as a secondary cancerous thyroid nodule.
I've been to 3 differnt oncologist and all but 1 say not to worry about it.
My symptoms are excessive sweating, tiredness and muscle aches and pains.
I would like to feel better as I'm being treated for the lung cancer and wonder how your team would follow up with the thyroid nodule. I can feel it getting larger and it is larger on the cat scans. It would seem that treating this thyroid cancer would help me to feel better as I live with lung cancer.
Was diagnosed Dec 2012 and have just come off a 7 month chemo break with slight to moderate progression. Now I'm back to Alimta maintenance and hoping for the best.
Should I push to have this thyroid biopsied and treated? Seems like the right thing to do to me.
Thanks for your time.
WantVictoy
Reply # - September 17, 2014, 08:10 AM
Hi wantvictory,
Hi wantvictory,
We can't really tell you what you should do, for both practical and legal reasons. Practically speaking, no matter how much information you provide in your posts, it can't compare to all of the medical information available to your own doctors, including your scans and tests and their observations from examining you.
Aside from your feeling that the thyroid nodule is growing, your symptoms don't seem to be particular to thryoid cancer, so it's not clear that putting yourself through a biopsy and treatment for the suspected thyroid cancer will make you feel better. In addition, thyroid cancer does not tend to be nearly as aggressive as lung cancer, so your doctors are prioritizing treatment of your lung cancer. In light of the issues you discussed in your post last month (http://cancergrace.org/topic/tumor-very-close-to-heart-with-recent-tias… ), that judgment seems to make a great deal of sense.Perhaps they can make a recommendation to help relieve your symptoms.
Good luck with Alimta maintenance and your decisions regarding the thyroid nodule..
JimC
Forum moderator
Reply # - September 17, 2014, 08:36 PM
Yes, as Jim noted, a thyroid
Yes, as Jim noted, a thyroid nodule, even a thyroid cancer, has a completely different pace than an advanced lung cancer. It's very likely to be a negligible threat. As for the symptoms you're feeling, they are quite non-specific and wouldn't necessarily or even likely be significantly improved based on treating a thyroid cancer. More likely, odds are that dealing with a thyroid cancer would be little more than an irrelevant distraction.
-Dr. West
Reply # - September 18, 2014, 04:02 PM
Hi Wantvictory. I am a
Hi Wantvictory. I am a patient member so I have no medical expertise, but I do have lung cancer and I do have hypothyroidism. So I'm sympathetic to your symptoms, especially the sweating!! It's awful!!
I'm just wondering if you have brought the subject of this thyroid nodule up with your primary care physician? A simple blood test could reveal whether your thyroid is functioning properly or not. If not, there is medication available to correct the problem and relieve the symptoms.
Good luck with your treatment and please check back in to tell us how you're doing!
Debra
Reply # - September 19, 2014, 08:03 AM
Thank you Debra!
Thank you Debra!
Your response is very sympathetic and kind. The sweating and tiredness are just awful. It was my primary care physician who lead me to ask my oncologist about treatment.
It seems I've seen so many others with a secondary primary who get treated for the secondary. I know I may not have a lot of time left but it would sure be nice to have some time without sweating and excessive tiredness and now swallowing a lump!
I'll ask my primary care physician if she can treat the symptoms even if it is cancer. Good thinking.
Thanks again for all the help here on cancergrace,
WV
Reply # - October 3, 2014, 02:17 PM
Hi WV, You should be able to
Hi WV, You should be able to at least try to treat symptoms no matter where they come from. Feeling as well as possible for as long as possible is always the name of the game.
I hope you can find some relief WV.
Thanks Debra for the heads up. Not treating cancer for longevity is very different than not treating symptoms that could might be treatable.
Hopes for all to find your balance,
Janine