We found out the biopsy results from the doctor this afternoon. The results were “suspicious for cancer, but not enough for a concrete diagnosis.”
biopsy needle
This means they will have to look HARDER for the cancer by doing a mediastinoscopy to get MORE of the enlarged lymph node.
This procedure is a little more involved than the biopsy I had on Tuesday. The CT-guided biopsy used a needle that looks like the one to the right. The tissue obtained from the biopsy were little cylinders slightly smaller than grains of rice.
Mediastinoscopy
The mediastinoscopy will use a scope going down my chest as shown in the picture to the left. This will allow the doctor to get bigger pieces of tissue. The tissue that we can get from the mediastinoscopy will be 2-3 times the size of a peppercorn, so it will be easier to spot cancer in the scar tissue if it is hiding there.
Our next plan of action is to see the thoracic surgeon on Monday at 11:30am. There we will find out when the mediastinoscopy will happen, probably sometime later next week. In the meantime, we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers, and we look forward to sharing the next step in our journey with you.
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