Likely lung cancer diagnosis, what will happen next?

[Velvetgoldmine]

Someone close to me has just been told they have probable lung cancer. This happened at the end of last week and a contrast scan was done today. He has a two week wait referral to oncology. Can anyone give me advice as to what we should expect next and how fast things are likely to move? Do scan results come quickly? Grateful for any and all information.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Trouble is, with cancer, this is a "how long is a piece of string" question. It depends on what level the cancer is at and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.

The problem with lung cancer is that it doesn't tend to show symptoms until its quite advanced. Having said that, I know someone whose relative had lung cancer for over 10 years. This is what I was hoping for when my DM was diagnosed. Sadly, in her case, it was less than 2 months before we were burying her. I do hope the situation with your loved one is a better outcome.

I’ve just gone through the cancer thing. It sometimes takes weeks to get any test results etc as it all has to go via the oncology team meeting.

I went for a colonoscopy and was told there and then that I had a massive tumour (March last year)

I obviously googled the size of my tumour and we thought I had months + to live. I spent 6 weeks sorting all my financial affairs etc

i had stage 3, surgery and 8 rounds of chemo and I’m almost done!

I know someone who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer about 18 years ago. He is still around, leading an active life. So you just never know

I was diagnosed with lung cancer 15 years ago. I was diagnosed on Friday 13/10. It took until 22/12 (many, many tests) until the doctors were confident to say they thought they may be able to operate, with a view to a cure.

Even that was wrapped up in "well your tumour maybe wrapped round your aorta, so we might have to stop, or your tumour may be be so close to your spine that we cannot remove it without paralyzing you, so do you want to go ahead?"

I found there were very many steps to take before decisions are made.

I was v v lucky. They could remove the tumour, I'm not paralysed.

But it was one hell of a journey. One that my family and friends also had to undertake.

If you want to be there with your friend, please, be sure you can be there throughout the journey. It may be a long one, or shorter one. It may end well like mine, or it may not.

I wish your friend all the luck I had.

Good Heavens! Thank you all for the responses. @user1471453601 that sounds terrifying but I am so glad you came through it. Thank you for the advice. I will be here for him. @houseofisms good for you! I wish you all the luck going forward.
@ADHDQueen and @Charcharm thank you for the info. I don't know yet what we are dealing with but am sure it won't be easy. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

It really depends which sort of LC they have and stage. My DH had this, the waiting between scans / tests was the worse bit.

@notapizzaeater how long did you have to wait - are we talking weeks? He seems very unwell so I am hoping they will move as fast as they can.

It's depend what kind and how far advanced it is. MIL got 6 months from diagnosis.

I politely suggest you join the Macmillan website and talk with people who have walked this route.
Wishing you and your friend the best. I advise he gets his house in order regarding any pension and his Will, may not be needed yet but people leave these things far too late.

I am familiar with this pathway. So the first step is the CT which may very well strongly suggest cancer. If it does then the next thing is to get hold of cancer cells. There are a number of genetic mutations in lung cancer which can be helpful in determining the best chemo or immunotherapy.
The next stage is a PET scan to see if lymph nodes in the lung light up, these can then accessed through an EBUS, a endoscopic lung procedure. Or there may be another area of potential cancer that lights up on the scan. A biopsy of the lung is possible but is a bit of an undertaking, if an EBUS is possible it’s the gold standard test. After the genetic make up of the tumour is known chemo can be planned. The molecular testing can take up to three weeks btw.
However if the pet scan doesn’t show spread then surgical removal of the lung or treatment with radiotherapy with a view to a cure is possible.
Bear in mind if the person you know is a smoker there is a possibility of small cell lung cancer. Most cases are now not small cell however. It is more aggressive usually and oncology will start chemo as quickly as possible. You don’t need to wait for molecular testing in that case. There is also some possibility of mesothelioma if there has been any asbestos exposure. There are also some treatments for that to prolong survival now too.
Due to the number of tests needed it is not a quick pathway. Some people present very late and time runs out. You should expect it to take 2 to 3 months to get to treatment, possibly a bit longer

@catownerofthenorth thank you that's incredibly informative. He smoked for many years but stopped a few years back. He has lost a great deal of weight and has a persistent cough. I am deeply concerned that it may be too late to do much, but trying to be positive. Thank you for the detailed information.

Try and find out the process and the day often the week things happen at your hospital. At ours, biopsy's are taken on Wednesdays. Boone told us this though and my parent was told they needed a biopsy during a Monday meeting. The doctor didn't request it / fill in the paperwork until Thursday. Had they done is then in the meeting, the biopsy would have happened a week earlier.

we got sent from waiting period to waiting period. Once we got to the end and treatment was offered it all happened quickly. But the whole assessment phase is a joke.