3 month scan Not sure what to think about results - 1271121

stevec
Posts:1

Hi,
I was dx 9-2014 with stage 3A nsclc. Tumor is located on top right lung. My only indication was a pain in my back that I noticed only when I was laying on my back. They originally thought 3 mediastinal lymph nodes were involved but I went to MSK in nyc and they did a Bronchioscopy and some other things and told me the nodes were benign and that an upper lobectomy was the plan. I returned home for a brain scan with and without contrast and nothing showed up on that. I was put through 4 rounds of chemo which consisted of cisplatin/vinorelbine for two weeks and then vinorelbine for two weeks. Once completed I had another CT scan and PET and the primary on my right lung had shrunk by 50% and MSK informed me that they did not recommend surgery because they did not feel they could get all of it due to its close proximity to my trachea. They sent me back home for 37 radiation treatments with accompanied by weekly chemo consisting of carboplatin and taxol. All of that ended back on June 11th. I had a great summer and honestly if they didnt tell me I was sick I wouldn'nt know it. I had my 3 mos PET and follow Tuesday 9-8 and was told the primary had gone from 28 down to 6 on PET and the6 was likely still from radiation. They also reported s spot on my spleen. They said they had given me a very aggresive chemo so they didn't recommend more. We also discussed radiating it but didnt think that was a good plan either. In the end they referred me to another cancer center to have my spleen removed. They said it could be an infection but didnt think it was likely. I would assume the PET indicated it was cancer. It is a 2cm lesion. It did not show up on PET taken on 4-1-2015 but showed itself on 9-2-2015 PET. Nothing else was found. I dont know whether to think I am one of the rare cases or whether it is spread microscopically. Waiting on consultation with surgical team for their recommendations. Any thoughts on what other options might be available. Not sure anymore.

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JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi Steve,

Congratulations on your good response to treatment. As far as the finding on your spleen, the PET can't defintively determine whether it is cancer, only that it may be metabolically active, and it's only been seen on one scan so there's no way if it is growing and if so, how quickly. Aside from surgery, it may also be possible to watch it closely, scanning again at a fairly short interval (perhaps 2-3 months) to see if it grows, which would be more suspicious for cancer.

I hope you have a good meeting with the surgeon, and that whichever path you take, the spot on your spleen is not cancer. Let us know how it goes, and if you have any further questions.

JimC
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