Hello and anyone experiencing incidental spiculated lung nodules?

Hi Debbie McP  welcome to the group but sorry you find yourself here. I am sorry to hear about the accident and the injuries you both had from that, I hope you are on your way to recovery. 

It sounds like you are going through a lot right now, with your mother in laws cancer, and now this worry of your husbands lung nodule. I really hope all tests come back negative for him, but what I can say is it sounds like if it is cancer, it sounds like it is in the the very early stages which is very reassuring. In some ways it sounds like Ct scan came at the right time. 

My cancer was discovered because the tumour in my lung became too heavy and broke through into my bronchial airway. You can read my journey by clicking my user name and going to my profile. 

Please let us know how your husband gets on. 

Hi.My mother had lung screening and they saw a 15mm nodule  in right lower lung and 5mm nodule in right middle lung,after many months PET scan which shown the larger one to be hot and then lung biopsy which was clear they chose to operate anyway and discovered that the lower was squamous carcinoma stage 1A and the little one adenocarcinoma stage 1B..4 weeks today after surgery for lower right lobectomy and right middle wedge resection the results were no further treatment.Not all nodules are cancerous but if they are the treatments now are amazing..please keep positive and don’t look at google,so outdated.All the best for you both and sorry about your accident.xx

Thank you for your reply  I’m still finding my way around here but will most definitely sit down to read your story. I am a Cardiac Physiologist to trade so while not a lung specialist I’ve a decent understanding of anatomy and OMG you are so lucky to be here at all by the sounds of how your tumour manifested itself! 

You’re right there about the timing of our accident for him having the nodule found, it was absolutely worth me breaking my neck for!  I did add to that by saying I wasn’t so sure it was worth writing off our brand new car for though! If we don’t laugh we cry right? xx 

Hey thank you for sharing your experience with your mother’s nodules. I’m medical myself which is as good a thing as it is bad when it comes to the health of my own loved ones  I’m very aware of the guidelines used for monitoring nodules, the Brock risk factor model (which could well be old hand now)  and have a decent enough knowledge of anatomy to spot barn door abnormalities on 3D scans so all these things are good to help me make sense of things and ask the right questions etc but with knowledge comes rational fear at what I understand could very well be an early Ca diagnosis, rational as I am it’s a scary feeling all the same.

it was really interesting to read about the 2 different cancer types, the scan findings and outcome of your mums nodules. I suspect we could be dealing with a adenocarcinoma and I know nodules of 10mm with solid spots may not light up on the PET at all so your Mums little one being a 1B adeno makes me hope that what they have in mind next for my husband is the same as mine!  

Was there a reason your mum waited so long for her PET then biopsy? Oh and presumably they did a full thoracotomy to do both the lobotomy and resection in one go for her? I know they try to use minimally invasive surgical techniques now to access individual lung segments and hoped that if or when his nodule needed got at that they’d use VAT but can’t imagine that’s possible for both lungs at different levels? Asking thaw last Q for my own interest really it’s been a very long time since I’ve worked in a Cardiothoracic theatre!

Oh and Cookie robin  phew I’m so pleased to hear your mother doesn’t require any further treatment and hope she has recovered without too much of an ordeal. Thanks once again xx 

 chellesimo  I read your story just now and don’t think I’ve said as many bad words to myself as I did in those minutes! You are an absolute warrior of a woman   thank you for directing me to reading that because it gave me the bit of perspective I needed to not just be rational about this nodule thing but truly grateful too.

I keep telling people that I’m grateful that the accident lead to where we are now as I’m very aware that symptom to diagnosis time often reveals a stage 3/4 lung tumour but realise now those were just words really. We will take this 1cm sub solid nodule, spiculated or not as a reminder of just how exceptionally lucky we are that until now we both have kept such good health.

I’ll let you know how we get on but until then keep up the good work here and the even better work at showing cancer who’s boss.

Thank again xx 

Hi again.After they discovered the nodules on low dose ct we waiting 9days to have pet scan which was then a 2week wait for results.We then had to wait just over a month for biopsy which was then another 2 week wait for results.By this point the results of biopsy were with thoracic surgeon who said biopsy is clear and it’s not acting or behaving like a cancer but he still wasn’t happy and said I’m removing both of the nodules.His plan was to do VATS wedge resection and lower lobe removal of nodule he said we will test these while under anaesthetic if it is cancer we will remove the whole lower lobe which they did.Her surgery went really well but we had to wait another month from her surgery for the lymph results and histology which was today.It has been a really scary time for me and mother and I think it’s the not knowing half the time.I broke down crying today and my mother said Ohhh lol.The hospital staff involved have been amazing.Sorry to hear about your mother in law and I hope your husbands results are negative.xx

I was dicovered a spiculated lung nodule last year accidently because of other reasons inpatient as well , which was 7 mm only ,then following up CT ,found it growing up to 9 MM in January time this year ,then 12 mm in August ,PET CT shows positive as well ,then biospy confirms its lung ca, but my doctor said I shouldnt expect chem or radio theraphy after sugury , Big fingers crossed ,my surgury will be October aother 2 to 3 weeks .thank you Robin's story sharing as well.

Hi All

Just wanted to update you all following my husbands appointment with the respiratory consultant to discuss his results etc. 

In a nutshell my husbands history coupled with such a suspicious looking nodule means all clues point toward it being an early Adenocarcinoma but as there is no real way for them to be sure of that they aren’t quite certain what the best management plan is from here. 

The PET scan didn’t tell us much more about the nodule than the CT but was reassuring all the same to know that there were no other areas of concern found in his body. His nodule lit up a little bit on the PET but not definitively so, they explained that early Adenocarcinomas are known to be less likely to glow on PET than sone other types. The CT last month was compared to the one in March, the size and volume of the nodule hadn’t changed but the appearance had as it is now a bit more spiculated and has became solid in tiny spots. It’s too small to biopsy. 

They said infection was the only other possible explanation for the nodule. My husband hasn’t had any sort of infection, not so much as sniff far less chest cough etc in years! They agreed lack of symptoms and the appearance and consistency of the nodule wasn’t in keeping with an infection but explained without ruling it out completely it was still possible.

There are 3 options management wise; continue with 3/12 CT monitoring, do a bronchoscopy wash out his lung to rule out infection as the cause or to go ahead and remove it with a VATS left upper lobectomy 

They will discuss his case at next weeks MDT and let us know what the consensus of opinion is. My husband and I aren’t sure if watching and waiting on cancer or waiting for surgery to remove part of a lung would be scarier the outcome. Very odd feeling indeed!

thanks again all for listening 

Hi Everybody here I wish to update you a news about myself. I had segmentectomy on 9th October and my drain has been removed next day on 10th October (I only inpatient 2 nights. the first night I was waiting surgery and 2rd night I was in high dependency unit ,3rd night already home sleep ) . I was discharged on next day after sugery on 10th October ,Im  still on strong pain killer now ,its only 5th day after sugery .but I managed to reduce this blue tablet -strong pain killer already because it causes side effects.I havent used the PRN pain killer yet . fingers crossed I wish a quicker recovery. Please dont feel too much scared if you are still in earlier stage.