Tanya has had a cough since November and she has been treated for a sinus infection and pneumonia, but the cough was only getting worse (to the point where she often coughs up her dinner). Her doctor sent her for some scans and they found two nodules in her right lung (same side as the breast cancer). One of the nodules is pressing against her bronchial tube, and that is what is causing the coughing and why she gets winded just walking around at work. She is basically operating on one lung.
From the looks of the tumors on the scans, the doctor gave a 95% or more chance that they are cancer. There is a very small chance that they are from valley fever or TB. The suspicion is either breast cancer or lung cancer.
Since one tumor is pressing against her bronchial tube, today's biopsy was from that tumor as an outpatient. The doctors are going to treat both tumors the same if it turns out to be cancer, because the other tumor is in a location where there is a 50% chance that her lung would collapse during a needle biopsy. If the second tumor does not respond to the treatment, then they will have to figure out something else. Steve said this time her treatments would probably be radiation and chemo.
Tanya's mom and sister and Steve were at the hospital with Tanya today. She said the procedure itself was pretty quick and not too bad. She seems to be in good spirits now and not too uncomfortable. The doctor said it would be about a week before they'd have the results, and Tanya has an appointment with him on the 10th--the day before the relay.
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Tanya Sharp was diagnosed with breast cancer in July of 2002. After multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation, Tanya became a volunteer for the American Cancer Society and she and her husband, Steve, organized her first Relay for Life in 2004. Ironically, days before the second relay on March 11, 2005, Tanya will find out the results of another biopsy, which the doctors give a 95% chance of being cancer.
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