Hello everyone,
My mother was diagnosed with Stage 2/3 rectal cancer in August. She completed her neoadjuvant chemoradiation regimen in October and has surgery scheduled for 12/12. On her initial scans, there were some findings but the doctors did not find them suspicious as my mother was a smoker for 35 years before quitting 6 years ago, and she had bronchitis/pneumonia constantly when she was younger. The radiologist said that since there were lung nodules found, although not suspicious there should be follow up scans in 3 months. It’s been 3 months and my mother’s doctors have said that since surgery is scheduled, the tumor shrunk noticeably, and nothing would change there is no need to do scans at this time and they would follow up with scans after surgery. Is this normal to just go ahead and follow through with surgery without scans? I’m going to post the reports that were on my mothers scans and if anyone has any knowledge of anything regarding them I would appreciate any insight you may have. Thank you so much:)
FINDINGS:
3 x 7 mm nodule along the right minor fissure image 48 may represent an incidental intrapulmonary lymph node. 4 mm micro nodules right upper lobe image 30 and left apex image 12. additional scattered less than 4 mm micro nodules. No suspicious lung
nodules or consolidative changes. Central airways are patent. No pleural effusions.
Hepatobiliary: Subcentimeter hypodense focus medial aspect of left lobe, too small to characterize, likely simple cysts. Status post cholecystectomy. No intra or extrahepatic biliary ductal dilatation.