Cancer screening /biopsy process inquiry

nm67304

Hi,

My father suffered from heart issues whereby he was rushed to er/hospital and was diagnosed w AFIB. During his stay at ER , the hospital ordered a CT Scan (without contrast as he has kidney issue ) The ct scan revealed 1.4 cm subpleural pulmonary nodule in his right lung and 5.3 cm mass formation on his elect adrenal gland.

The ER/Hospital he was checked into discharged my dad and told him to immediately follow up w his primary care provider (dr) on the scan results. Totally understand the hospital’s position as the hospital is quite small and doesn’t have the resources to proceed w cancer diagnosis. We visited the primary care physician whereby he referred us to an oncologist (had to wait a week to see oncologist). The oncologist let us know my dad would need a PET CT Scan (latest available would be a week later ) . We grew frustrated with the length of time it was taking to proceed w biopsy, so we met w pulmonologist that recommended bronchoscopy to perform biopsy on his lung.

my main question to all you experts out there is in regards to cancer biopsy turnaround time ? Is it I safe to assume it is going to take over 3-4 weeks to finally get a biopsy ? Should I just have my dad check into a bigger hospital that can get all this done rather than waste all this time visiting all these doctors ? I feel bad for my dad as 1) he is ill 2) just wants closure if he has cancer or not and we are in week 3 since he was discharged

Heather23

No expert here. So sorry to hear that your father is ill. Three weeks for me to get biopsied. First week was cat scan, second week was pet scan then third week, biopsy. Four weeks before I knew for sure. Hope this helps and that it is benign.

nm67304

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1711465#Comment_1711465

Thanks Heather sharing your experience . New to all this and can be quite frustrating w how long it takes to have the biopsy performed. Happy to hear your biopsy results were benign!

Heather23

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1711467#Comment_1711467

It is very frustrating, especially when time is of the essence. Just hope this is all just a blip and there will be nothing to worry about!! I was saying I hope your father's biopsy comes back benign :) for me, that was not the case as I have stage 4 small cell lung cancer. I am doing really good though! Just finished chemo and going to start radiation.

3hearts

My husband was diagnosed on 9/11/23 in the ER with lung cancer that had spread to his adrenal gland. Biopsy was on 9/12/23. Results from biopsy was on 9/15/23. First oncology appt was 9/15/23 and PET scan was 9/20/23. First treatment was 9/27/23 with chemo and immunotherapy.

My main advice is to stay on top of the Dr’s and his results. I called every day to try to get him a sooner appointment. I was very persistent about that. I called so much the office staff recognized my voice when I would call. Biopsies shouldn’t take that long to get results. I’m so sorry for your dad’s diagnosis. It’s very overwhelming and devastating. It’s been a rough time for us. My husband was 46 at diagnosis and he had no symptoms. It was very shocking. His PET scan also showed it in his lymph nodes too. We try to stay positive and we have faith in God to take care of him. Prayers for your dad 🤍

nm67304

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1711465#Comment_1711465

I am so sorry Heather for misunderstanding your initial post. I hope you recover from your cancer ! Prayers out to you and thank you so much for sharing.

nm67304

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1711487#Comment_1711487

Thanks for the amazing advice . Very frustrating trying to deal w medical office workers and doctors for my dad’s biopsy. Totally understand they are busy and have other patients to help as well. By chance, was everything performed for you in hospital once your husband was admitted to ER? My dad’s ER did it have capabilities as it was small hospital and discharged him and told us to immediately seek our pcp. It’s been never endign visits to specialists , another ct scan order, now a pet scan order (bear in mind we have to wait 3-4 days to get the scan) then scans have to be sent to oncologist. We were hoping for lung biopsy this Friday but now told Dec 29th :( . Just hate to see my dad have to wonder as he just wants closure. Again, thanks for your post!

3hearts

When I took him to the ER on 9/11 they admitted him and his biopsy was the next day in the hospital. Then he was discharged. I was already calling oncology before we even had the biopsy results. I knew it would take a while to get in to see the Dr. so I wanted an appointment ASAP. Luckily the hospital we went to is a fairly big hospital and they had the capabilities to perform all the scans and biopsy very fast. I honestly just explained to all the office staff that I was desperate in needing a sooner appointment and to please call me if someone cancels. I took a leave of absence from work for 5 weeks. It’s a lot of appointments, scans, bloodwork, and treatments. It’s honestly exhausting just trying to stay on top of everything. I keep a notebook with notes, phone numbers, appointments and medications. I take notes every day. I bought an oxygen meter. I keep track of that and his temperature every day. I had to advocate for my husband. I was his voice. We were both scared and I wasn’t going to let it take weeks for answers. Your dad is lucky to have you to help take care of him. Be his voice and be persistent! Encourage him and assure him that he’s not alone. There are newer treatments out now. ALSO PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY DO GENETIC TESTING ON HIS BIOPSY. That is so important. They can look for gene mutations and pick which treatment will work best for him. Genetic testing does take a few weeks but it’s worth the wait. You don’t want him taking a treatment that’s not going to work good if there’s another that will work better! Hope this helps. Message if you have any more questions!

Cheryl