My husband was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer in August of 2007. He had a neck dissection and underwent chemo & radiation treatments. All PET scans and scopes of the throat have been good. He had been having a PET every 6 months & the scopes done in between PET scans. The last PET he had was in November of last year. Everything was good. At that point, his doctor told him that since it had been 3 years, it was time to wait a year for another PET. Long story short, insurance would not pay for a PET this year. Instead, he had a CT with contrast of the neck & chest. The CT showed 3 noncalcified nodules scattered throughout his lungs. Now, he goes for a PET tomorrow. Needless to say, we are terrified. Do these nodules mean that his cancer has spread after being clear for this long? Could the nodules have been there when he had the PET a year ago and just not shown? If anyone can offer any advice about this....please respond!

Skp...The only thing I can add is when I was first diagnosed I had the PET/CT Scan. After that I had a CT Scan yearly with and without contrast from my waist to the top of my head.

I hope everything works out see what the Dr. has to say after the testing tomorrow.

Take care,
Connie

Hi SKP:
I recently had an MRI, with contrast, that showed a "mass" in my nasopharynx area. An allergist was doing the test for something entirely different. Anyway, when she got these results, she immediately faxed them to my RO. My RO had another MRI done (I think with and without contrast), because she and the ENT felt the "mass" was an enhancement from the dye. Nevertheless, she did have the ENT do a biopsy of that area and found no malignancy. So, maybe yours has something to do with the contrast too. I hope you and your hubby get good news.
julieann

Me too... Very much hoping it's nothing - it could very easily be scar tissue ore something like that! Take care.

Skp - Hope everything turns out ok today. There are so many things that can look worrisome and turn out to be nothing. My son had what they called a "spot" on his lung and it turned out to just be scar tissue but the waiting to find out was really stressful. Sending positive vibes your way for good news today.

Me too - positive vibes to you... Lots of people have nodules in their lungs it doesnt mean its cancer. Also, as you've been told, PETS are great but notorious for false positives. Take care!

Hi Skp

My Alex also had oropharanygeal cancer diagnosed March 2010. A heavy smoker with previous spontaneous pneumothoraces (collapsed lung) in his twenties and again in his thirties. 2 days into chemo another. So lots of scarring and a diagnosis of "nodules" caused by smoke damage as early as his mid to late 30s.

The PET midway through his treatment said "a newly developed FDG avid 8mm likely inflammatory pulmonary nodule was seen.... not present on recent CT chest". We freaked of course and the next few months was not pleasant, but couldn't address the problem due to the need to go into radiation first and then worry later about whatever nasty suprises were awaiting in the lung. On the PET 6 months later we received "the nodule noted in the previous study in the right upper lobe has resolved."

So, Alex is living proof that nodules might be just nodules. Don't know what the significance of "noncalcified" is in your report though, other than not been there long enough to fossilise??? No, seriously, it might mean a PET might struggle to pick them up if the nodules are non solid and small???(just guessing). By the way if the nodules are non solid then the chance of them being cancerous is lower as well (not guessing).

No matter what the outcome, as a result of your vigilance you have caught whatever it is early and if it is something nasty, it is treatable with a good prognosis.

Good luck with your PET results, I hope by the time you read this, it will have been just another unfounded fear that we all fall victim to everytime something a bit unusual pops up.

Skip,

I just went through this. I have had a recurrence in a lymph node in the neck. My doctor recommended a PET scan from my hips up to the top of my head. PET showed two new spots on my lungs that lit up. The one on the left was not very solid as far as the imaging was concerned as was kind of shadowy. The one on the right was 15mm in size but had a ribbon shape instead of the normal nodule shape you would expect. Either way they decided to needle biopsy the one on the right lung. They had some trouble getting three clean samples of tissue and only got one so the official diagnosis was inconclusive (as they like all three to be clean). The good news is that the one clean piece of tissue showed no cancer but some inflammation.
I have has a subsequent CT and the shadows are still there but have not changed. As I am going into additional treatment they said they will watch the lungs over time but will concentrate on that lymph node for treatment.

Hope this helps.