Hilar lung mass

Hi Annaclyr,

Thank you for getting in touch and welcome to the Online Community. I’m Hilary  one of the Cancer Information Nurses here on the Macmillan Support Line. 

I am sorry to read that your mum has been diagnosed with a 5cm left Hilar lung mass. This must be a difficult time for you both. Waiting for tests and results can be a worrying time. You can read a little about how to manage this uncertain time here.

PET scans are used to produce detailed three-dimensional images of the inside of the body. The images can clearly show the part of the body being investigated, including any abnormal areas, and can highlight how well certain functions of the body are working. This together with the biopsy will help in gathering the information the consultant needs to produce a diagnosis and understand how to manage it.

A lung mass is an abnormal growth or area in the lungs that is more than 3 cm in diameter. Lung masses can be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign). Often lung masses are cancerous but there are other conditions that can produce lung masses that are benign.

As we are not directly involved with patient care, we don’t have access to NHS clinical notes, records, or investigation results, this means we are unable to predict what could be the cause of symptoms. Your mum’s consultant or clinical nurse specialist would be best placed to discuss this with you. I see that your mum is a non-smoker and has had breast cancer in the past. The consultant should take this into consideration when considering a diagnosis.

You mention your mum recently had a severe chest infection and that she is currently experiencing breathlessness. We would recommend that she is seen by a doctor as soon as possible to understand whether the breathlessness is related perhaps to the chest infection that may not have been completely successfully treated or some other cause. If your mum’s clinical team are not aware of her breathlessness, we would recommend calling a member of the clinical team at the hospital to inform them as soon as possible. Calling NHS 111 for advice over the bank holiday weekend, would be what we recommend especially if her symptoms of breathlessness persist or worsen. If you feel that this is urgent then do call 999.

I hope you have found this helpful. Please do get in touch anytime we can be of support in the future.

Best wishes

Hilary.

Cancer Information Nurse

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.

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