VAT lung biopsy

Primavera
Primavera Member Posts: 231 Member

Hi all. Hope you are all doing well in these crazy times. I'm here form the endometrial cancer forum.

I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer last year; grade was 3 so I had a hysterectomy really fast on April 15. Stage 1A.

Pre-operative scans revealed 2 lung nodules (stable at 3mm each for a whole year), but also a ground-glass opacity that is 0.9cm. I also have a tiny 3mm "lession" in liver that has not grown and doesn't show up on ultrasounds, so we haven't followed it up lately.

CT scans done: 3/19, 9/19, 12/19 and 7/20. The radiologists reports have been saying the same thing all along: lung nodules stable, ground-glass opacity stable, probably benign.

My pulmonologist almost drove me crazy 12/19 because she "saw more than the radiologist saw." Sent me for a CT scan with contrast and tuberculosis tests (negative) and called me next day 12/24/19 to tell me everything was OK.

Forward to 7/20, two weeks ago, when I went for the biannual CT scan. She called me into her office and said she doesn't trust the radiologist report (again) and that she wants to do a VAT biopsy. She talked to my oncologist and it looks like she convinced the oncologist I should have this.

It's still surgery, though minimally invasive, but I've read a lot about how this procedure gets overused. I read everywhere that a PET scan should be the next step, but don't know why that's not suggested.

Has anyone had this kind of biopsy? They're saying it's only a one night stay and that it's a same-day procdure and they're pushing for it to be done as soon as I can. I got my two last CT scans on a CD, but pushy doctor and nurses are saying things like "it's no use to send to another radiologist, because they might say the same thing as this one, and they don't make the diagnostic decision."

Perhaps this procedure is more common in this forum. Anything you can share would be great. Thanks in advance.