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What Causes An Abnormal Opacity In The Left Upper Lung?

Posted on Fri, 8 Jul 2016

Question: what is ill defined opacity in left upper lung?
XXXX

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (40 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
This can be due to infection, fibrosis or malignant mass like lesion.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question on Healthcare Magic.
I can understand your concern.
Left upper lung ill defined opacity can be due to
1. Lung infection like tuberculosis or pneumonia
2. Old fibrosis
3. Malignancy (lung cancer).
So I want more information about your illness two guide you further.
Please let me know
1. What are your symptoms?
2. How many days old report is this?
Please reply me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Priyanka G Raj

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (42 minutes later)

my father has sporadic coughing attached is his last March 2016 Ct scan result and recently xray result XXXXXXX 15, 2016.

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (15 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
What are his other symptoms?

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Healthcare Magic.
I have gone through the reports you have attached.
His reports are suggestive of mass like lesion, mostly malignant (cancer).
Please let me know
1. What are his other symptoms?
2. Is he having weight loss, hemoptysis, anorexia?
3. Was he smoker?
Please reply me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your father. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Priyanka G Raj

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (41 minutes later)

his symptoms: sporadic coughing, weight loss his weight is 45 kls since last march and haven't change, the same weight as of yesterday XXXXXXX 17, 2016, he smoke when he was younger but not a smoker he is 76 years old, he's eating is good, he's easily get tired when doing some works in the house, but he still can drive a car when he goes out. I don't know more since he doesnt told us all what he feels.

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Has he undergone blood reports and sputum reports?

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Healthcare Magic.
I can understand your concern.
Possibility of malignant lung mass is more.
Please let me know
1. Is he having hemoptysis?
2. Has he undergone any blood reports or sputum reports or bronchoscopy or Biopsy?
Please reply me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your father. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Priyanka G Raj

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (21 minutes later)

no hemoptysis, no blood or sputum reports, did not undergone biopsy

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Better to get done Biopsy and sputum reports.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Healthcare Magic.
I can understand your concern.
In my opinion, he should definitely undergone Biopsy from the mass, sputum reports and tumour markers (fromm blood).
He will also need PET scan to determine staging of the tumor if it is malignant.
Please let me know
1. Do you consult pulmonologist for him?
2. What did his treating doctor advice after this chest x ray and CT scan?
Please reply me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better.
I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your father. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (17 minutes later)

the doc told to have a biopsy when she saw the result of ct scan but he doesnt want & decided not to undergone biopsy, but how it is done the tumour marker "from blood" and the PET scan

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (20 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Why he refused for Biopsy?

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Healthcare Magic.
I can understand your concern.
Most confirmatory test for cancer is Biopsy.
Please let me know
1. Why he refused for Biopsy?
2. Is your lady doctor a pulmonologist?
Tumour markers are done from blood of the patient. And PET scan is whole body imagining, similar to CT scan.
Please reply to me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your father. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Sonia Raina

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (1 hour later)

pulmonologist is a lady, she told us after biopsy the next step is radiation and chemotheraphy, my father dont like that treatment and told us he's already old and his body might not cope with it.

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (29 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Is he taking any drugs at present?

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Healthcare Magic.
I can understand his condition and thinking.
In my opinion, you all made him understand that chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not harmful for all patients.
Patients do improve with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Some patients do improve drastically with oral chemotherapy also.
Please let me know
1. Is he taking any oral tablets like multivitamin or painkiller or bronchodilator?
2. Is he having breathlessness?
3. Where do you live?
Please reply me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your father. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Sonia Raina

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (3 hours later)

he's taking food supplement only and yesterday started taking complete med for tuberculosis repampecin etc..3 tab 1xday,
no pain killer and no multivitamins. From what i observe i think he has a shortness of breathing. We live in the Philippines. You said chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not harmful but at his age you think he can take it? because i'd seen many gone through with it and dies in just a short period of time, 6 months at the most.

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (32 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Why anti tubercular drugs are started?

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Healthcare Magic.
I can understand your concern.
Why anti tubercular drugs started?
Is any report is done which is suggestive of tuberculosis?
Better to start multivitamin tablets and protein powder.
Please reply me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your father. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Veerisetty Shyamkumar