5 years ago my Fiance had a malignant sarcoma tumor in his arm; he followed up with all of his regular MRI check ups except for last year.  His last MRI was 2 years ago and up unit now everything seemed to be gone.  On his last MRI they found a "8mm mass on his lungs".  He was advised that if the cancer came back, it would come back in his lungs.  Is this catching it "early"?  Does this prolong prognosis? Is there risk of that the cancer has already metastasized?  He is a smoker, but is in the process of quitting.
129176
Oh dear… an 8mm mass on his lungs in never good news.\n\nI feel sorry for your both, especially for your fiancée…this is definitely not caching “it” early, for it is a secondary tumor, and a big one.\n\nOnce you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, you must keep present you’ve become a cancer survivor for as long as you live and thus never, never, ever think or believe you are over the fence, so to speak; cancer is treacherous and, as a survivor, one must NEVER let one’s guard down.\n\nAs for the prognosis, see what the doctors have to say, and make the BEST out of it.
93077
I am a registered CT technologist.  We routinely do follow up scans on nodules.  I have never heard of someone having follow up scans every 6 months for three years when the nodules have not changed. Most calcified nodules I have seen are related to TB exposure.  I would suggest you make an appointment with a specialist.  Bring ALL of your imaging reports and x-rays, and get a second opinion.  I do believe that sometimes doctors are over cautious for fear of a malpractice suit.  And sometimes, doctors are unsure of their diagnosis and skill, and they order more exams than necessary.    For example, a referring physician that orders a mammogram on a 91 year old woman, who is on oxygen and half dead.  She couldn't survive breast cancer surgery if needed, and even if she had breast cancer, the lung disease/old age would kill her first.  But, gotta order that mammogram to cover his butt.  CYA  (Cover your A**) is practiced.  It is a sad commentary on our society, the sue happy Americans.  Please consider a second opinion.  Good luck to you!
630406
I don't know exactly what the chances are that you'd get cancer from it, because that can depend on a variety of things. The risks are there though. My uncle died from lung cancer, so did my old neighbor friend. To be honest, I'd just try to quit if you can.
549276
Oh dear\nI'm so sorry for your mother\nwhen a cancer has reached a site far from the original site (i mean when there is no direct contact between the two sites) it's then called a distant metastasis and in oncology classifications it's known as M1 in TNM classification and grade IV in WHO classification\nin such cases the treatment is very difficult because this means that the cancer cells have managed to escape from the original site and escape from the protective mechanisms circulating in the blood and present in different tissues to reach another distant site\nNo one can say how long would a patient with metastatic bone cancer live and it's dependent on many factors one of them is what type of bone cancer\nIn most cases the treatment such a patient will recieve is to help her continue her life without suffering or pain\nI wish you and your family the best
645211
Just FYI Pancoast tumors aren't always cancerous.  I know someone who just had one resected, and it was found to be fibrous tissue.  No cancer.  He didn't smoke either.
608920
I work in cancer research, so I know a bit about the statistics.\n\nIt will depend on the stage at diagnosis.  If it's stage I or II, it's possible.  Stage III is unlikely, and stage IV has a very poor prognosis - usually those who are diagnosed at stage IV only have a few months to live.\n\nI hope that this person has had an early diagnosis - cancer is a horrible thing - I wish your friend the best.
473981
my mom found out she had lung cancer and i was willing to give her a lung, or whatever it took, i would have gladely takin her place and i told her so....she passes away a couple weeks after she found out she had it because it had spread to bones and her brain.....if u have a mom love her, spend lots of time w/ her, and nerver do things u will regret.
634525
What kind of cancer did he have to start with?  There are people nowadays living with cancer.  My father's friend Tony is an example.  Tony was diagnosed with 6 months to live, terminal cancer.  He pushed for chemo anyhow and is still here 8 years later and the cancer spread to the colon and pancreas and started in the lung.  He has to be on maintenance chemo every 4 months to control it but he is living with cancer like people live with any illness.  Don't give up hope.  Depending where the cancer is, part of the liver if it's in the left lobe can be removed and he can still function with part of his liver.  He could also be eligible if push came to shove for a transplant from a relative.
523871
From what you wrote it sounds like a lymphoma type cancer or breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes and to the soft tissues which attach to the sternum but not inside the bone itself which is a good thing.  \n\nI can't give you the odds of living because I don't know her full history with cancer, family history, health issues she might have, how long since she noticed this, if it's the first test, etc.  But I can tell you that people are living with cancer like people live with asthma or diabetes.  \n\nIt sounds like she would need chemo and radiation to shrink the masses, then surgery to remove what they can, then more chemo and radiation, then physical therapy.  If they remove the lymph nodes which it sounds like they would be thinking of that, she probably would have a good chance to develop lymphedema, which in that case, I can help you with those issues but the first issue is cancer treatments.  What does her doctor suggest?\n\nI'm a cancer survivor and believe me if I got the diagnosis she did, I would opt for heavy duty chemo, radiation prior to surgery, then surgery for them to take out what they can, then more chemo and radiation and kill the stuff off, then you have to monitor things.  Has she had a PET scan?  I would say with the involvement of soft tissues, lymph nodes, she needs one to be sure it hasn't spread anywhere else unnoticed.\n\nHer odds aren't lost with the right treatment, she needs to keep a positive attitude and you need to show her alot of support because I imagine she is afraid, depressed, and worried about the odds and treatments and how she is gonna feel.
404186
If the operation prolongs life, even by a year or two, then yes. I'd also seek a 3rd and even 4th opinion. Are you the person with the cancer? Whoever it is, I'm deeply sorry. I know what it's like to have that horrible disease in the family. You'll come to the right decision and remember, sometimes miracles do happen. The very best of luck to you and yours
318072
if you are having new nodules appear, consider seeing a pulmonologist or thoracic surgeon for another opinion. Infection can do this, but so can cancer
200446
If the non-calcified nodules seen on screening were confirmed and were non-calcified on the diagnostic CT, further work-up was recommended, depending on the size (average of length and width) of the nodule:\nnodules 5 mm or less: follow up with high resolution CT scans at 3 mos, 6 mos, 12 mos and 24 mos as long as there was no growth. \n\nhttp://www.journalclub.org/vol2/a71.html\n\nIf a nodule is found on a screening CT scan, than a decision is made to either biopsy the nodule if it appears suspicious for cancer, or to repeat a CT scan within 6 to 12 weeks to determine if the nodule has grown. Should the nodule grow, this is highly suspicious for malignancy, and a recommendation to biopsy the nodule is warranted. If on the other hand the nodule remains stable in size, and does not change, then continued observation is recommended. \n\nhttp://www.columbiasurgery.org/divisions/cardiothoracic/dd_cancer_screen.html
664514
I think the best thing you could do is find some pictures of smoker's lungs and  cancerous lungs and show him.  That is what his lungs will look like 10 years from now.  I am a Med student and have been in lung transplant surgeries where the lungs that are removed as are as black as pavement.  This should get him to reconsider his habit.
518846
Stage IV cancer is basically a way for the oncologist to know which protocol to use when treating a patient. It is often misinterpreted by people who do not understand the disease to be a 'death sentence'. That's just not true at all. Stage IV is, however, more difficult to treat because it indicates the cancer has metastasized.\n\nWhat you should do for your friend is become very educated about the disease. Read and locate resources, talk to people who have the disease, look for support groups, talk to doctors, perhaps even seek out a second or third opinion, look over treatment options, find the best oncologist that you can and than put your trust in him completely. Once an oncologist is on your friends side, they can make referrals and recommendations that open doors for treatments.\nRemember, there is always hope . . remain positive . . and help your friend to remain strong. It is a tough battle, but human beings are remarkable creatures . . with a good friend like you . . he will find his strength to face whatever comes.\n\nMy son was diagnosed 20 months ago with stage IV abdominal sarcoma that had metastasized. His pediatric oncology team was able to eliminate all visible tumors and he underwent an experimental intraperitoneal chemoperfusion to eradicate micrometatastes from the diaphragm and abdominal cavity. He is doing very well, he still has 2 small nodules (about a cm) that we are dealing with. But, in the meantime he has excellent quality of life, is asymptomatic, takes college classes, and hangs out with his friends. It's been tough, but it can be done.\n\nGood luck to you. \n\nAnd, a word of caution, any treatment offered should be evidence based and scientifically documented. \n\nThe American Cancer Society is an excellent resource for information about melanoma. The site also offers stories of encouragement:\nhttp://www.cancer.org/docroot/lrn/lrn_0.asp\n\nYou may also want to encourage your friend or his caregiver to joing a ListServ group specifically for patients with Melanoma, so that you can talk directly to others with the disease.\nhttp://listserv.acor.org/archives/melanoma.html\n\nAmerican Melanoma Foundation\nhttp://www.melanomafoundation.org/\n\nGood luck and stay strong.
485884
My 17 year old son has intra-abdominal sarcoma that presented as multiple masses within the abdominal cavity. He had tumors on the liver, spleen, large and small intestine, chest wall, lymph nodes, lungs, and right diaphragm. He was stage IV at diagnosis with malignant ascitis. He underwent 16 months of high dose chemotherapy which eliminated or shrunk the majority of tumors. He than had a debulking surgery which removed 75% of the visible tumors, and last October he had cytoreductive surgery and intra-peritoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion. The surgeon removed the spleen, peeled the tumors from the large and small intestine and liver, and scrapped down the diaphragm before administering mytomycin C into the abdominal cavity. The idea was to remove all visible tumors and than use the heated chemo applied directly to kill off all microscopic disease. My son was in remission for 8 months. His last CT showed two small (about one centimeter) abnormalities on the dome of the liver between the diaphragm. We weren't surprised and have taken further steps to fight the disease.\n\nHe continues to do well, but we are always aware how quickly this could change.
187383
seems a patient is waiting! do him a favor, send him to someone who knows. however, i am no oncologist but i think quantity of radiation should depend on the site of the tumor, its grade and stage (extent of metastasis), clinical status of the patient, etc. the best way to go about it would be consulting a radiotherapist/ oncologist.
531160
my mother in law just went through this and just had radiation too.  her doctor said the cancer was in a fairly small area, and the radiation was just as effective and wouldn't give her the side effects of chemo, but if it came back or they found it had spread, she would have to have the chemo then.  good luck to your sister!