I am a 38 year old female who was diagnosed with left vocal cord paralysis but I am awaiting my CT scan. I was a former smoker for about 17 years at about a pack per day. I've been worried about possibility of lung cancer but I have not had any symptoms such as cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, weight loss, etc. But the other day I started having pain in my left shoulder and stumbled upon the topic of Pancoast. It stated that it does not present with the usually symptoms of lung cancer so now I am really worried and my scan isn't for another week. I was sick last year with a bad cough and sore throat that lasted more than a month so I also wonder if the vocal cord paralysis could be a result of that viral infection. My left shoulder pain was at around a 5 the other day but today I'd say it's more just an ache rather than pain. Anyone have a similar experience? Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
Diagnosed with vocal cord paralysis..is Pancoast tumor a possibility? - 1274246
noho41
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Reply # - June 6, 2016, 07:45 PM
By the way, my CT scan is of
By the way, my CT scan is of the neck with soft tissue (with contrast). Would that show anything related to Pancoast?
Reply # - June 7, 2016, 07:23 AM
Hi noho41,
Hi noho41,
Welcome to GRACE. I'm sorry that you have been experiencing the vocal cord paralysis and shoulder pain, but at your age and with the symptoms you describe, a pancoast tumor is very unlikely. If a pancoast tumor were causing your vocal cord paralysis, I would expect that you would have experienced the shoulder pain first. In addition, cancer pain does not tend to wax and wane, but rather to steadily increase over time.
A CT scan should be able to rule out a pancoast tumor. As Dr. West has said:
“It’s extremely unlikely that someone in their 30s would get lung cancer. Not impossible, but probably 1 in 1000 or more patients with lung cancer is that young. The upper lung is definitely viewed in a chest CT, so I would consider it extraordinarily unlikely that you could have a Pancoast tumor without a lung tumor being visible on a chest CT.” – http://cancergrace.org/topic/questions-about-imaging-and-symptoms-of-pa…
Perhaps after a clear CT scan, your doctors will be able to determine the true (and hopefully less worrisome) cause for your symptoms.
JimC
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Reply # - June 15, 2016, 03:29 PM
Hi Jim,
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your response. I got my scan back and it looks like I have thyroid cancer. I have surgery scheduled for 2 weeks from now for my thyroidectomy and they will determine if the tumor is malignant. However, on my scan, it showed some sort of mass or lung consolidation on the right upper lobe measuring 1.4 cm x 1.7 cm. I need to wait to see a pulmonologist but worried sick. The radiologist report indicated that it may be from inflammation or neoplastic disease. Any thoughts on this?
Reply # - June 15, 2016, 03:33 PM
They have determined that my
They have determined that my vocal cord paralysis on the left is due to the tumor pressing on the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Do you think it's possible that the mass on my right lung is a result of the thyroid cancer or is it possible that it's something more serious like lung cancer?
Reply # - June 15, 2016, 04:55 PM
noho, It's very possible for
noho, It's very possible for thyroid cancer to metastasize to the lung. From the American Cancer Society,
Best of luck,
Janine