confusing & conflicting diagnosis

Jaypee · Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 5:22 pm Post subject: confusing & conflicting diagnosis

I've posted about my 52 yr old sister having been diagnosed with stage 3 ncsc lung cancer. The surgeon & the pathologist said the two suspicious tumours in her lungs were benign, & her lumph nodes (near the bronchial? area between the lungs were malignant. Still no definite answer as to how many lymph nodes were removed & malignant. The benign results of the lung tumours have perplexed the surgeon, pathologist and the oncologists.
My sis has finished her first round of intense chemo (cisplatin & etopiside), the oncologist said she "thinks" & guarantees the two tumours ARE malignant & the radiologist has referred her back to the surgeon for a possible lung tissue removal & test.
We are so confused...we know they are looking for a primary site. Is it possible, the tumours were once positive & malignant and are now benign? Is it possible, that coumadin she was first prescribed (they orig.thought she had a pulmonary embolism) masked the lung biopsies or even "cured" the cancer in her lungs? Is it possible, due to her quitting smoking over a year ago, she had malignant tumours & now they have simply tested benign?

Sorry for so much garbalygoop! But we are desperate for answers.

Sincerely,

jaypee

leo · Owner Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 1574

Hello

A malignant tumor rarely recedes, though it can happen in some forms of cancer, but not in lung cancer. Coumadin does not have any effect on tumors. It is likely that the biopsy just missed the malignant tissue, and that is too infrequent.

best regards,
Dr Leo F
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Disclaimer: this information is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice.

Jaypee · Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:23 pm Post subject: your reply

thanks for replying...to clarify what do you mean "infrequent"??? you mean the needle biopsies normally don't pick up the malignant tissue? They missed the mark?

Jaypee
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tobie · Regular Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 22

Hi,
My mom has stage 4 NSCLC. When it was first discovered via x-ray, they decided to do a FNAB (Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy?) on the tumor. The mass was 7cm. X 7 cm. but somehow the biopsy was inconclusive. It is very possible to miss the mark or insert the needle too deep or any one of a number of things can happen. I think the idea of doing a biopsy this way is to try and avoid a more serious surgical procedure. Unfortunately, it isn't the most reliable and often other methods must be used to make the diagnosis. My mom's surgeon was certain that her tumor was malignant just by looking at the x-rays but I guess that they need confirmation before deciding how to proceed.

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