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What are the chances of a lump in the lungs being cancerous?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

My father's CT scan suggests some growth in the chest. The doctor already did bronchoscopy, thoracentesis, and some other tests to identify the cause of the fluid in the lungs, but nothing was found in those reports. So now the doctor wants to do a chest CT scan guided biopsy for that growth, as they did not find anything in other tests. My father has no other symptoms like coughing or weight loss. He only had fluid in his lungs and breathing trouble while walking. So my question is, what are the chances of the lump being cancerous?

Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Arvind Guru

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Arvind Guru is a Surgeon who specializes in Surgical Oncology (Cancer Surgery). He has served as a faculty member at TMH, Mumbai as a Surgical Oncologist. He is a Specialist Cancer Surgeon with extensive years of clinical experience from the best medical institutions. He also attends gastrointestinal cancer surgery (including laparoscopic) for colon, rectum, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, gall bladder, and liver cancers.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

As a general rule, any growth is treated as a tumor. A tumor can be benign or cancerous (malignant). However, the elderly age group has a higher risk of cancerous lung growth. So in your father's case, it would be easier to say something definitive in favor of any possibility with the actual biopsy report.

Hope that helps.

Thank you.

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Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

My father was diagnosed with metastatic NSCLC (lung cancer) last month. So far, he has taken two chemotherapy cycles with no extreme side effects. I wanted to know how long could my father survive with chemotherapy? Currently, he is taking Carboplatin–pemetrexed as a chemotherapy medicine. The doctor also suggested a combination of chemotherapy with immunotherapy. They suggested that if he can tolerate immunotherapy, it should continue for at least two years. We can continue immunotherapy for six to eight months. Is there any partial benefit we can get with immunotherapy and chemotherapy for six to eight months and then continue only with chemotherapy? I am also attaching the respective reports here for your evaluation.

Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Arvind Guru

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Arvind Guru is a Surgeon who specializes in Surgical Oncology (Cancer Surgery). He has served as a faculty member at TMH, Mumbai as a Surgical Oncologist. He is a Specialist Cancer Surgeon with extensive years of clinical experience from the best medical institutions. He also attends gastrointestinal cancer surgery (including laparoscopic) for colon, rectum, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, gall bladder, and liver cancers.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) mutation-negative adenocarcinoma does not have a good prognosis. However, the actual outcome depends on the response to treatment. The response to immunotherapy can also help indicate a long-term prognosis for therapy. Traditionally, a survival of around one to two years is expected. However, it would help if you had a detailed discussion with your oncologist.

Hope that helps.

Thank you.

Medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team
Published At January 9, 2023
Reviewed At January 8, 2024

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Arvind Guru is a Surgeon who specializes in Surgical Oncology (Cancer Surgery). He has served as a faculty member at TMH, Mumbai as a Surgical Oncologist. He is a Specialist Cancer Surgeon with extensive years of clinical experience from the best medical institutions. He also attends gastrointestinal cancer surgery (including laparoscopic) for colon, rectum, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, gall bladder, and liver cancers.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Arvind Guru is a Surgeon who specializes in Surgical Oncology (Cancer Surgery). He has served as a faculty member at TMH, Mumbai as a Surgical Oncologist. He is a Specialist Cancer Surgeon with extensive years of clinical experience from the best medical institutions. He also attends gastrointestinal cancer surgery (including laparoscopic) for colon, rectum, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, gall bladder, and liver cancers.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

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