Question - Insight wanted

Alehan
Alehan Member Posts: 24
in Lung Cancer #1

Hi everyone,

My had a small (2.2cm ) tumor removed from his kidney back in March. It was cancer and he had his 1st PET scan a few weeks back. They saw what might be a lesion on same kidney but also thickening of the pleural lining of his lung/lungs. My question for you all is... Is this sometimes how lung cancer presents? We have a while still before we will know anything because further testing doesn't happen until net week and Doctors are not forthcoming with any info. I just need to know if it's a chance that it is nothing or if the thickening is always serious.

 

Thank you so much for your time and knowledge.

-Heather

Comments

  • dennycee
    dennycee Member Posts: 857 Member
    #2
    Sorry no answer before this

    Fluid in the pleura can be An indicator of cancer that has metasticized or it could be an indicator of a new primary or it could be irritation.  Sometimes the pleural effusion will dissipate by itself.  they will reevaluate this at the next appointment.  Hopefully it will have resolved itself and no further treatment will be required.   

    If it doesn't, they will drain the fluid and biopsy it to verify that it is a metastasis.  I am curious though, is this the first PET scan period or did they do one when staging the cancer?  Please let us know the outcome.  I will check back over at the kidney thread as well.  

    In my case, the pleural effusion came about after treatment.  They found no cancer cells in the fluid but dead cancer cells in a sample of the pleura tissue after when I had pericardial effusion a few months later.  Actually no cancer cells were found in the tissue from the pericardium or its fluid either (yeah).  The chemo had destroyed the cells in the pleura.  

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