Hi,
I am new to this forum. I should be very grateful if you could help me interpret or give me your views on the result of my lung nodule scans. I feel very confused – and of course scared.
I am 78 years, woman, have smoked since I was 20 (everybody smoked when I was young …). I have tried to stop a couple of times with cessation periods of max 5 months, then unfortunately started again. Now I am fully convinced to stop for good on October 1st. I have a smoking history that I am not proud of: 10 cig per day since 1966. None of my parents smoked. No cancer in the family, except for myself – got breast cancer in 2009 (treated with 25 days radiation and anti-estrogen pills for 5 years).
2019 a small lung nodule of 4 mm with unspecific appearance and with “no direct suspicion of metastatis” was found incidentally on a CT scan (abdomen/thorax). It was followed up 3 months later, no change in size was noted. The nodule was found in lower right lobe. Nothing else of suspicion found. Since then I have been followed up with the following results/findings:
Dec 2020: One nodule 4 mm in lower right lobe plus 3 smaller nodules 1-2 mm, unspecific appearance, found in dorsal/basal part in the interlobular groove beween right lower lobe and right azygos lobe.
June 2024: In the right lower lobe can be seen essentially unchanged compared to scan made in Dec 2020: one nodule ca 7 mm 1 nodule 4 mm.
Do you think it is the (old) 4 mm nodule found 2019 and 2020 that has grown in size to ca 7 mm in June 2024? Or could it be that the nodule of 4 mm has remained the same size and the nodule of 7 mm is a new nodule? How can the radiologist write that the result looks “essentially unchanged”?
What is your opinion about further follow up? Should I ask for another scan in about 6-12 months? Or should I just let it go? I have had different doctors all the time, but the last one said: “It looks good, you can forget about this now”. Can I? I am still scared!
On the whole, I feel rather healthy but have some problems with white, bubbly phlegm in my mouth every morning and my voice is hoarse and weak since about half a year. A feeling of lump in my throat when I put my head on my pillow to sleep. These problems do not exist in daytime.
Thanks a lot for coming back to me with some viewpoints.
Best regards,
Barbro (Sorry that my story became so long!)
Reply # - October 2, 2024, 11:41 AM
Hi Barbro, Welcome to GRACE…
Hi Barbro, Welcome to GRACE. I'm sorry you're worrying about this. We aren't able to give feedback on scan reports. Interpreting scan reports in this setting is not only unethical but also illegal. Your doctor should be able to tell you which nodule is which. They are all considered quite small, unchanged for 4 years, and yearly low-dose CT screening would be appropriate. When getting scans from different places and machines, getting different readings is not unusual.
You should always let your docs know about new or worsening symptoms. No matter what the cause you don't want the congestion to continue without a workup on its cause.
Congratulations on tackling breast cancer and best of luck moving forward.
Janine
I joined GRACE as a caregiver for my husband who had a Pancoast tumor, NSCLC stage III in 2009. He had curative chemo/rads then it was believed he had a recurrence in the spine/oligometastasis that was radiated. He's 10 years out from treatment.