Lung Cancer in under 35, non smoker?

very worried husband
very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
in Lung Cancer #1
Dear All,

I am posting this for my cousin. She is 31 and mother of 6 months old. she had a chest xray and it showed a lump in her left lung. she is suppose to do CT and lung biopsy next week...very very scared. I am a member of colon club, since my wife is a colon cancer patient stage 3b since last january.
The doctor said if she was 70 years old, she would have definitely said it is cancer. but since she is young, it's hard to tell until CT and Biopsy.
I am looking for your guide and suggestions. is lung cancer common in non smoker and young age like 30+? i know cancer does not play according to the rules anyway. my wife was diagnosed last year at 25 years of age for colon cancer which is common in people aged 50+.

My cousin has seen weight loss and general pains for the last month and she has fever of 102,103....and she has even nails pain....could it be cancer?
please help
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Comments

  • catcon49
    catcon49 Member Posts: 398
    #2
    dear very worried
    I am soo very sorry to hear about your cousin's illness. Unfortunately, cancer does not care who it attacks. But it may not be cancer. Try to be patient and wait for the CT and Biopsy results. Maybe it's an infection of some kind. Please post back to let us know.

    cathy
  • Ex_Rock_n_Roller
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller Member Posts: 281 Member
    #3
    "Could" covers a lot of ground
    Certainly somebody that young can get cancer, and a non-smoker can get lung cancer (I'm a case in point). It probably isn't the most likely thing, though, so I wouldn't necessarily panic.

    In a way, and I'm no doctor, maybe you could even look at the fever as a positive. Maybe she has some kind of different condition going on, even an infection, that can be addressed more easily and with a less ominous prognosis than cancer.

    Really, try not to jump the gun. The CT and biopsy will go far to telling the tale. Best of luck to you all.
  • ellenm4
    ellenm4 Member Posts: 124
    #4
    I agree with cat an ex. Try
    I agree with cat an ex. Try to stay calm and wait for all I'd to be dotted and T's to be crossed. It is hard, but never assume the worst! It could just be an infection. Will keep you in our prayers but please keep us informed of the news!
  • dennycee
    dennycee Member Posts: 857 Member
    #5
    Its not cancer until the
    Its not cancer until the biopsy says its cancer. Or, as my grandmother used to say, don't go borrowing trouble. BREATHE! Relax. There are other things that could cause that spot as was pointed out earlier.

    BTW, Smoking and second hand smoke are not the only causes of lung cancer.
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #6
    dennycee said:

    Its not cancer until the
    Its not cancer until the biopsy says its cancer. Or, as my grandmother used to say, don't go borrowing trouble. BREATHE! Relax. There are other things that could cause that spot as was pointed out earlier.

    BTW, Smoking and second hand smoke are not the only causes of lung cancer.

    Thank You all
    Catcon49, Ex-RNR, Ellenm4 and deynnycee, Thank you all so much for your kind words. We pray it turns out to be only infection or TB...I just feel so bad for her 6 months old daughter...
    will post when she gets her results. please Keep us in your prayers.
  • PBJ Austin
    PBJ Austin Member Posts: 347 Member
    #7
    very worried husband said:

    Thank You all
    Catcon49, Ex-RNR, Ellenm4 and deynnycee, Thank you all so much for your kind words. We pray it turns out to be only infection or TB...I just feel so bad for her 6 months old daughter...
    will post when she gets her results. please Keep us in your prayers.

    They told me it was cancer but it was a lung infection
    Hello friend,

    There are many possibilites including cancer but as others have stated please try to be calm and positive and wait for biopsy results. You might be interested to hear my story, I'll be as brief as possible.

    One day I had severe pains while breathing. I went to the ER, they did a CT scan and found a mass measuring 7.3cm at the widest point. The ER doc told me with great certainty this was cancer and urged me to get a biopsy ASAP. I cannot describe how I felt at this moment but I'm sure most people on this board can relate.

    I had a needle biopsy a few days later and it came back inconclusive. Over the next 2 months I had a broncoscopy, an EBUS and a PET scan. The PET scan lit up for the lung (a false positive result) but all other biopsies yielded no answers. (In case you are unfamiliar with PET scans, they light up for any abnormal growth so false positives are fairly common.)

    By this time my breathing was very labored, I was running a high temperature and my heart was racing. I was diagnosed with pneumonia and I was very sick. They did an upper right lobectomy and once the mass was out they determined once and for all it was not cancer, it was a really bad infection.

    As it turns out I have a condition called Allergic Bronchiopulmonary Aspergillosis (APBA) which is a severe allergy to the aspergillus mold. This condition can cause lung infections and benign masses.

    If your cousin keeps getting inconclusive results to testing please ask her to be tested for APBA. It's very rare and often overlooked. APBA is not curable but it is manageable with meds. I have been taking meds for a couple of years now and I feel great.

    All my hopes and prayers are with you for the best possible outcome. Please do post back and let us know how it turns out. We do care.

    Pam
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #8
    PBJ Austin said:

    They told me it was cancer but it was a lung infection
    Hello friend,

    There are many possibilites including cancer but as others have stated please try to be calm and positive and wait for biopsy results. You might be interested to hear my story, I'll be as brief as possible.

    One day I had severe pains while breathing. I went to the ER, they did a CT scan and found a mass measuring 7.3cm at the widest point. The ER doc told me with great certainty this was cancer and urged me to get a biopsy ASAP. I cannot describe how I felt at this moment but I'm sure most people on this board can relate.

    I had a needle biopsy a few days later and it came back inconclusive. Over the next 2 months I had a broncoscopy, an EBUS and a PET scan. The PET scan lit up for the lung (a false positive result) but all other biopsies yielded no answers. (In case you are unfamiliar with PET scans, they light up for any abnormal growth so false positives are fairly common.)

    By this time my breathing was very labored, I was running a high temperature and my heart was racing. I was diagnosed with pneumonia and I was very sick. They did an upper right lobectomy and once the mass was out they determined once and for all it was not cancer, it was a really bad infection.

    As it turns out I have a condition called Allergic Bronchiopulmonary Aspergillosis (APBA) which is a severe allergy to the aspergillus mold. This condition can cause lung infections and benign masses.

    If your cousin keeps getting inconclusive results to testing please ask her to be tested for APBA. It's very rare and often overlooked. APBA is not curable but it is manageable with meds. I have been taking meds for a couple of years now and I feel great.

    All my hopes and prayers are with you for the best possible outcome. Please do post back and let us know how it turns out. We do care.

    Pam

    Thanks
    PBJ Austin Thanks for your kind words. I hope and pray it turns out to be an infection.
    I will let all know about the results this week. Please pray for us, as I do for all of you...
  • ellenm4
    ellenm4 Member Posts: 124
    #9
    very worried husband said:

    Thanks
    PBJ Austin Thanks for your kind words. I hope and pray it turns out to be an infection.
    I will let all know about the results this week. Please pray for us, as I do for all of you...

    Please keep us posted on the
    Please keep us posted on the out come. As always until then you and your family are in my prayers. Even though it looks and feels scary....dig in there (the situtation) and find the gift. God Bless!
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #10
    ellenm4 said:

    Please keep us posted on the
    Please keep us posted on the out come. As always until then you and your family are in my prayers. Even though it looks and feels scary....dig in there (the situtation) and find the gift. God Bless!

    UPDATE
    Dear All,

    Thanks for all your concerns and prayers. ellenm4 you are a wonderful person.
    well, it turns out my cousin has TB. she was diagnosed yesterday. today they already did testing on her 6 months old daughter... and they are gonna test her husband also.
    she is also scheduled for a CT and lung biopsy for the 19th , as they also want to have a look at enlarged lymph nodes in chest area.
    so it is still murky, but atleast I would guess TB is a good news .....( atleast in these circumstances)
  • PBJ Austin
    PBJ Austin Member Posts: 347 Member
    #11
    very worried husband said:

    UPDATE
    Dear All,

    Thanks for all your concerns and prayers. ellenm4 you are a wonderful person.
    well, it turns out my cousin has TB. she was diagnosed yesterday. today they already did testing on her 6 months old daughter... and they are gonna test her husband also.
    she is also scheduled for a CT and lung biopsy for the 19th , as they also want to have a look at enlarged lymph nodes in chest area.
    so it is still murky, but atleast I would guess TB is a good news .....( atleast in these circumstances)

    update
    I logged in today hoping to hear from you. When I went through all that testing I was hoping for something like TB so I can understand why TB is good news under these circumstances. Please do let us know how the lung biopsy goes, we will continue to hope and pray for no cancer.
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #12
    PBJ Austin said:

    update
    I logged in today hoping to hear from you. When I went through all that testing I was hoping for something like TB so I can understand why TB is good news under these circumstances. Please do let us know how the lung biopsy goes, we will continue to hope and pray for no cancer.

    Thanks
    Thanks PBJ Austin for your concerns and consideration! I will certainly post once we get the results of Biopsy. They doctors are also suspecting lymphoma, as she has some enlarged lymph nodes in chest area. but we know it could be due to many reasons. and we pray it's just an infection or due to TB.
    Please keep us in your prayers..Thanks
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #13
    PBJ Austin said:

    update
    I logged in today hoping to hear from you. When I went through all that testing I was hoping for something like TB so I can understand why TB is good news under these circumstances. Please do let us know how the lung biopsy goes, we will continue to hope and pray for no cancer.

    Thanks
    Thanks PBJ Austin for your concerns ! I will certainly post once we get the results of Biopsy. They doctors are also suspecting lymphoma, as she has some enlarged lymph nodes in chest area. but we know it could be due to many reasons. and we pray it's just an infection or due to TB.
    Please keep us in your prayers..Thanks
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #14
    PBJ Austin said:

    update
    I logged in today hoping to hear from you. When I went through all that testing I was hoping for something like TB so I can understand why TB is good news under these circumstances. Please do let us know how the lung biopsy goes, we will continue to hope and pray for no cancer.

    Thanks
    Thanks PBJ Austin for your concerns ! I will certainly post once we get the results of Biopsy. They doctors are also suspecting lymphoma, as she has some enlarged lymph nodes in chest area. but we know it could be due to many reasons. and we pray it's just an infection or due to TB.
    Please keep us in your prayers..Thanks
  • ellenm4
    ellenm4 Member Posts: 124
    #15
    very worried husband said:

    Thanks
    Thanks PBJ Austin for your concerns ! I will certainly post once we get the results of Biopsy. They doctors are also suspecting lymphoma, as she has some enlarged lymph nodes in chest area. but we know it could be due to many reasons. and we pray it's just an infection or due to TB.
    Please keep us in your prayers..Thanks

    What wonderful news! TB is
    What wonderful news! TB is by no means a walk in the park, but it is a much better dx than cancer! You and your family shall always stay in our prayers and please keep us informed of the other results. Yes, I had nodes enlarged from having Mono...so again the is power in prayers combined. Stay strong and tight! No matter what always look for that silver lining. God loves you and so do we!

    Ellen
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #16
    ellenm4 said:

    What wonderful news! TB is
    What wonderful news! TB is by no means a walk in the park, but it is a much better dx than cancer! You and your family shall always stay in our prayers and please keep us informed of the other results. Yes, I had nodes enlarged from having Mono...so again the is power in prayers combined. Stay strong and tight! No matter what always look for that silver lining. God loves you and so do we!

    Ellen

    Thanks Ellenm4
    for all your prayers. You have not only very beautiful face but also very beautiful heart.
    You will always be in my thoughts and prayers
    God Bless you..
  • ellenm4
    ellenm4 Member Posts: 124
    #17
    very worried husband said:

    Thanks Ellenm4
    for all your prayers. You have not only very beautiful face but also very beautiful heart.
    You will always be in my thoughts and prayers
    God Bless you..

    awww you are just too sweet!
    awww you are just too sweet! Thank you for keeping me in your prayers as well. You as well as so many others on this site have a beautiful soul and that is what I would like to think I have the most of. It is the inner beauty that matters to me the most! God Bless and hoping you have a long happy life with the ones you love! :)
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #18
    ellenm4 said:

    awww you are just too sweet!
    awww you are just too sweet! Thank you for keeping me in your prayers as well. You as well as so many others on this site have a beautiful soul and that is what I would like to think I have the most of. It is the inner beauty that matters to me the most! God Bless and hoping you have a long happy life with the ones you love! :)

    Thank You All
    My sister had CT scan on 19th and today she had an appointmnet with Doctor, and the greatest news is

    ONLY TB.........

    we are all thrilled.. thank you so much for all your support....
    The doctor said they were worried about lymphoma due to excessive night sweathing,weight loss, low blood levels, pains in her body, nails etc....but luckily it is just TB..


    I dont have words to thank you all.....
  • Ex_Rock_n_Roller
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller Member Posts: 281 Member
    #19
    very worried husband said:

    Thank You All
    My sister had CT scan on 19th and today she had an appointmnet with Doctor, and the greatest news is

    ONLY TB.........

    we are all thrilled.. thank you so much for all your support....
    The doctor said they were worried about lymphoma due to excessive night sweathing,weight loss, low blood levels, pains in her body, nails etc....but luckily it is just TB..


    I dont have words to thank you all.....

    Hey, now...
    We wouldn't steer you wrong!

    Excellent to hear about this silver lining. Major league good drugs / kill the bugs / healing mojo coming your sister's way.
  • very worried husband
    very worried husband Member Posts: 88 Member
    #20
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller said:

    Hey, now...
    We wouldn't steer you wrong!

    Excellent to hear about this silver lining. Major league good drugs / kill the bugs / healing mojo coming your sister's way.

    Thanks ExRNR....
    God bless u
    Thanks ExRNR....
    God bless u
  • PBJ Austin
    PBJ Austin Member Posts: 347 Member
    #21
    very worried husband said:

    Thanks ExRNR....
    God bless u
    Thanks ExRNR....
    God bless u

    WOOHOO!!!!
    TB never sounded so good, thank God there was no cancer. YAY!! Thank you for starting mey day right.

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