Tests and getting an answer
When lung cancer is suspected, tests are needed to find out what is there. Getting a clear answer quickly helps people know what they are facing, and means the right treatment can start sooner.
You may have several tests, sometimes in different places, and waiting for results can be one of the hardest parts. The team looking after you should explain what each test is for, and who you can contact while you wait.
Common tests for lung cancer
Not everyone will need every test
CT scan: a detailed scan of your chest, which can show the size and position of anything unusual.
PET-CT scan: a scan that shows how active cells are in different parts of your body, and whether anything may have spread.
Bronchoscopy: a thin, flexible tube with a camera is passed through your nose or mouth into your airways, so the team can look inside and take small samples.
EBUS: a bronchoscopy with an ultrasound probe, used to take samples from the lymph nodes in the chest.
CT-guided biopsy: a thin needle is passed through the skin of your chest, using a CT scan as a guide, to take a small sample.
Biomarker testing: a tissue sample is tested for changes, such as EGFR or ALK, that can help decide which treatment will work best.
The people behind the tests
From the nurses who make sure nothing is missed to the specialists who confirm a diagnosis, many people work to get each person an answer.
Waiting for an answer
“I wish that the anomalies on the family doctor’s X-ray would immediately have been checked with the available modern scans, CT and CT-PET, in the hospital.”
Ernst's family doctor found something on his X-ray just before Christmas, but it was judged not to be urgent and left until after New Year. In the meantime, his pain got worse. Professor Gregor Kocher, the thoracic surgeon who treated him, says a suspicion of lung cancer warrants timely tests.
Stories about tests and getting an answer
Stories
Ask when you can expect each result, and how you will be told
Keep a contact number for your team, and use it if you are worried
Write down questions as you think of them
Bring someone with you to appointments, to listen and take notes
Reach out to an organisation in your country that supports people affected by lung cancer
If your symptoms get worse while you wait, contact your team or your doctor.
Waiting can be hard.
It can help to:
From first symptom to diagnosis
Five stages, each told from both sides.
- Noticing something When something changes, and deciding what to do about it
- Going to primary care The first appointment, from both sides of the desk
- Suspected lung cancer When a scan shows something, but there is no answer yet
- Tests and getting an answer Scans, biopsies and the team keeping everything moving
- Diagnosis and what comes next The right diagnosis, and the support that follows