My mother was diagnosed with oral cancer last year � she had surgery of her right mandibles in March 08 followed by 6 weeks of radiation. She was doing well since then; - however, 7 weeks back she caught a severe cold that rapidly developed into persistent wheezing and coughing. She also had blood while coughing a few times (4-5 times). She has a mild fever almost every day. The doctor (not the oncologist � a general practice doc) suggested X-Ray and then CT scan � which revealed a �spot� in her lungs. The report says �right hilar soft tissue mass with perilesional nodules and patchy consolidations with ipsilateral minimal pleural effusion�. The doctor advised a biopsy.

We are really nervous � can this be a recurrence? As we know, before her oral surgery last year, her diagnosis was T4N0M0. She had 3 check-ups with her oncologist in last 9 months, and everything was fine, apparently. Do these symptoms indicate lung cancer?

Any words of wisdom/advice would be highly appreciated.

Thank you.