Problem With Two Cat Scans And The "Waiting" To See If It Grows Game

I have not been diagnosed with lung cancer yet, but I am going for a Pet Scan this Thursday.
I wonder if anyone has ever asked for, received and read their cat scan reports? The two cat scans were taken two months apart at two different hospitals.
I got mine, read them and found discrepancies between the two reports and made a follow up appointment with the pulmonologist. I Found that, apart from the mention of a 2cm in the left upper lobe in both reports, the rest of the reports were different, and by that I mean, they mentioned different things!

One thing which really jumped out at me ws that the first radiologist noted a 2cm lymph node above the atrium - mid midiastinum. The second radiologist made no mention of it. In fact, his report stated no lymphadenopathy!

My pulmonologist was frustrated, and so was I, until he read the second page of the second cat scan wherein the radiologist stated he compared his scan to the 1st scan and "the 2cm ill-defined density in the left upper lobe was present on the previous study".
The radiologist then stated "All other densities mentioned above were present on previous study with no significant interval changes".
My Doctor's explanation of this last sentence was "this means that everything In the first cat scan and reported on was correct.
I let it go at that ... said I did not want to wait any longer and why wasnt there any tests, like bronchoscopy, needle biopsy or sputum test I could have to be sure. And furthermore, I said, why would someone want to wait, if perchance it is growing and metastasizing while we're waiting. This is why he ordered the Pet Scan.
My LARGER QUESTION IS, and I hope I am not confusing anyone here, but if you read the quoted statement by the 2nd radiologist that "ALL OTHER DENSITIES MENTIONED ABOVE WERE PRESENT ON PREVIOUS STUDY WITH NO SIGNIFICANT INTERVAL CHANGES" what would that mean to you.
THAT:
What was onhe 1st can scan was also on the 2nd cat scan but I (2nd radiologist) did'nt write them up in my 2nd report!! ....a very large question arises then because of the 2cm lymph node reported on the 1st can scan, yet on the 2nd scan he reported lymphs were fine!

OR DOES IT MEAN:
Everything mentioned on my report (2nd radiologist) was on the 1st cat scan .... but NOT REPORTED BY THE 1ST RADIOLOGIST!
Am I missing something here, or I am just loosing my mind from stress right now!
Thanks so much everyone for your thoughts.
Joyce from Upstate NY

Luvjoy -
I was too confused to reply to your question but I have not had just a cat scan since my initial diagnosis. Because the cat scan showed something, I had a PetScan done (in 2002) and have since had a conbination PetScan with cat scan overlay. I am sure the PetScan will give you the information you need. Good luck.

Yes, mmmmm, I know it was confusing!
Thanks for your encouragement, I go today for pet scan. But, this also is part of my frustration with the medical community. I had to go back to the second pulmonologist I saw for a second opinion and push for him to do something! Is this normal? Do many people run into the lets wait and see if it grows thing? I saw the 2nd pulmonologist as a second opinion (who confirmed the first pulmonologists opinion of waiting three more months for another cat scan to see if it grows.)
Thanks again for your boost!
Luvjoy

Luvjoy -

I have dealt with the pulmonologist only after my surgery in the hospital then on a 4 to 6 month time frame after that. It has been my oncologist who orders the pet scans for me and tells me the results. And, yes, sometimes you hae to push. My oncologist leaves options up to me to decide and I tell him - do what you think is the right thing to do - I trust you and I don't have the knowledge to make those kinds of deisions. Depending on what your pet scan shows, I would ask every question I could think of such as:
1) Is surgery an option
2) Is chemotherapy an option
3) If something is showing up, why are we waiting for it to get bigger?
Write down every question you can think of and then write down the answers given to you so you won't have to depend on your memory (if yours is anything like mine). Good Luck to you.

Lovjoy,

I recently asked for a CT scan as I had breast cancer 18 mo ago and was a smoker. I quit over 20 years ago, but was a very heavy smoker. I recent lost close friends (2 - husband and wife) to nonsmall cell. I decide if there is a screening for breast cancer why not use the ct scan in the same way for possible lung cancer. I will see a pulmunory doctor this week. There is an "infiltration" 2 - 3 cm. It could be a number of things including scar tissue, infection, cancer or something that is found often in the lungs of people living in the midwest.

I don't know if I should be frighten or not, but right now I am trusting the Lord that it isn't any thing. But if it is, better now when it is very small than wait for a chest x-ray when it is almost always too late.

Have you ever heard of a "infiltration".

Thanks, Grace

Hi Helen,
What a lovely name.
I just finished writing an epistle to Bill on this site who recently was told there is something showing up on his chest xray.
When I went back to my mail you were there.
Rather than rewrite my status, you might want to read what I wrote, but I did get a call from my pulmonologist today. The PetScan I had done last Friday showed that the 2cm lesion "lit" up which means it is probably cancerous. I now have an appt with a chest surgeon next Monday. Gosh its scary.
But Helen, you definetely did the right thing by asking for a cat scan. I saw two pulmonologists, who both revieiwed two cat scans, and both agreed for me to wait another 3 months. When I questioned my GP about that, he said that happens all the time. Sometimes people have repeats for more than a year!
I guess I just wasnt the ostrich type. So I pushed and I think its better to get things early. and so do you. Just for your info, a PetScan is abouot 90% accurate.
Good luck to you and with Holy Hope in God, things will work out fine. Be well?
Joyce

Sorry Helen, I just reread your mail and I missed your last question.
I personally think, radiologist call thingys
they see which are irregular in the lungs many different names.
Mass, or Lesion, but I recall when I had the chest xrays for pneumonia, that was called infiltrates by the radiologist. So, this is a good thing if this is what it is .... maybe an old pneumonia or something.
Keep in touch
Luck, Luck
Joyce

I am meeting with doctors at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN tomorrow and will know more after that. I will check in on Friday.

Thanks for prayers and thoughts.

Helen G.

Lovjoy:

I am so happy. My CT scan showed something small in my right lung, but they believe it scarring from the breast cancer raidation I had on that side. They will be redoing the CT in 6 months, but my lung functions were great too.

Let me know how you are doing.

Thanks for the prayers.

Helen G.

Hi Helen.
How did you make out with the pulmonologist.
Hopefully everything turned out ok for you.
Keep in touch.
Joyce in NY