Hello- advice please

Hi- I had kidney tumour which was removed with a partial nephrectomy last year.  Went for my one year scan at the end of the summer and then had my meeting with the consultant at the weekend (good old 7 day NHS!)  Kidney is fine - Yippee- but CT has found 3 nodules in my lungs- 2 right, 1 left.  Split nicely between the lobes- so one bottom, one middle and one upper.

Sizes are 2mm,3mm and 6mm.

quick read up shows that 60% nodules are harmless- ones at the bottom are less likely to be cancerous?  But it does seem that having more is not on the + side, as kidney cancer goes to the lungs that is also not on the + side.  I am towards the 50 end of 40 again not a plus and having them between lungs and in different lobes seems not to be good either. Father was a carpenter and as a kid I did help him remove a couple of asbestos corrigated roofs, plus lived in a building site for years as we did up an old property.  I then married a carpenter/boat builder, and have helped with stripping roof's that were laith and plaster (so super dusty) and have been around my fair share of dust etc  and with the foolishness of youth not always with masks.  

On the plus side they are very small (though 6mm seems big enough for me thank you very much).

I am being rescaned in 6 months.

I am very worried and very scared- but am a person who likes to know if I should be worried or not, what I am dealing with.

Am I right to have concerns?

  • It is only natural for you to have concerns but I did some reading for you and apparently lung nodules are fairly common so it does not rule cancer out but they (in most cases) are not dangerous. Are you undergoing treatment for these nodules or are they just scanning them again in 6 months? That seems like a lengthy amount of time to me. I would chase your GP up or your consultant and ask whether or not these nodules indicate cancer. 

  • consultant made the 6 months scan, they are not current being treated and they only told me about them 3 days ago.- Consultant is fab, but very into trying to get people to not worry- spent the whole time telling me my kidney might not be cancer ( mind you to be fair as it had not been biopsied I guess it might not have been).  Then afterward was very much well of course it was cancer!!

    He wants me to go to my GP as I have had chest pain since the start of the summer, which is still there. (have been to the GP in the summer, but they said it could be possibly 3 things all which should cure themselves so I haven't gone back)  So I will go back.