nodule/lung mets ?

I've posted before and gotten help, now I'm back again.

My wife, eight years out from stage II BC, recenty had a chest x-ray as part of her oncologist's general follow up.

We're scared to death. The Diagnois says: Questionable infrahllar nodule on lateral view which can be further assessed with shallow oblique views of the chest.

Details are: In the infrahllar region, the lateral view only, there is a 15mm nodular opacity, potentially related to pulmonary vasculature in this region, although a simliar appearance is not demonstrated by previous films and pulmonary nodule is to be excluded. Evaluation with shallow oblique views of the chest would be useful as an initial step.

It also says lung volumes are symmetric without focal consolidation or pleural effusion.

Going for a cat scan tomorrow, but I'm wondering, 'Could this be something other than mets, or if mets, how possibly treatable ?'

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Has your wife had other chest rays since her treatment/dx that did not show this? Was the x-ray just done routinely or was your wife experiencngs symptoms which warranted an x-ray or furthertesting? Did she have radiation when previously treated? If so, that will usually affect the lungs in some way which is what I was told by the radiation oncologist. I hope all goes well with tomorrow's test and that everything is okay Just wonderng, what treatment did your wife have 8 years ago?

It could be a granulomatous nodule from a fungal infection such as histoplasmosis or coccidioidomycosis or a bacterial infection like tuberculosis. It might be a lymphoma, which would be highly treatable. It might be nothing. Hang in there and wait for the results.

Thanks for your response.

My wife had 3 cycles of CAF before surgery, followed by lumpectomy, radiation, then CMF.

Our surgeon had used chemo before surgery for larger tumors and felt that it might be a good idea to try for smaller ones. He went over the whole process with us.

The original estimated size of her tumor was felt to be around 2 centimeters, though final size was about 1.2.

Actually, prior to her surgery in 94 there was a questionable chest x-ray.

I'm bringing the reports with us to the cat scan. On the 94 scan there was an indication of subcentimeter nodular density just above the left hilar region

Thanks for your response.

As I just replied to another poster, I did find some strange information concerning a chest x-ray in 1994, before my wife had her surgery.

There was a questionable x-ray.

I'm bringing the reports with us to the cat scan. On the 94 scan there was an indication of subcentimeter nodular density just above the left hilar region