Good news on scans - frustration with docs

[Erin]

Just a quick update for those of you had responded to my last several posts. (for those who didn't know, my last CT showed a 7mm spiculated lesion in my right lung. A PET was inconclusive and the pulmonologist was talking about doing a biopsy).

I went to my onc and he consulted with two other radiologists. One said wait and see - do another CT in 6 weeks, and the other one said he couldn't see anything (??) So, the consensus is to wait 6 weeks for another CT, which I am very happy to do. But, I am very frustrated by the docs...one is all worried, one says wait, and one says he "can't see anything"? (Makes me wonder what the other are seeing - also makes me wonder what I saw when the pulomonologist showed me the films and pointed it out!)

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to invite trouble. If most of them agree that a wait and see approach is best, I am happy to avoid having and unnecessary invasive procedure. But it makes me very nervous when they disagree so completely on something this important. My original lump was dismissed as nothing for 6 months too, so I am a little gun shy.

Just a little nervous...which I am beginning to realize will probably last as long time...(sigh)

[tousled1]

Erin,

I can understand your anxiety and of course the differing of opinions among the doctors. I would say take a wait and see attitude. Get through the Holidays and enjoy yourself. After the Holidays then you can get another scan and see what happens. It's hard to take a wait and see attitude but sometimes that's the best thing to do. You don't want to subject yourself to any unnecessary tests. Hopefully it's nothing. I'll keep you in my prayers.

[AlaskaAngel]

This is where sometimes having a track record from past blood testing may be helpful, and is part of why a fair number of patients here try to have the tumor markers tested regularly. You may already be doing that. If you are on the fence, it can not only give you some indication of what to do next, but also add some creditibility or justification in discussing the options with your providers.

Early stagers can get the CA 15-3 or alternatively the CA 27.29.

Late stagers can get those plus the HER2 serum test.

Having them done on a regular basis before a question comes up helps by giving you some idea what the readings normally are.

Also, even though you are thinking lung, looking at the alk-phos, AST and ALT from the usual blood tests can help too if there is something going on with the bones as well that has not yet been picked up.

Hope this helps you and perhaps others to understand some of the rationale for using markers, even though they are not infallible. They are just additional pieces of information to help with decision-making.

AlaskaAngel