Dr. Robert Morgan, MD

Hello, You are asking if radiation is effective for lung cancer. However, I dont know your age or gender, or the pathologic type of lung cancer. I also am unsure about previous treatments that you have undergone. Lung cancer treatment is usually multi factorial. Combinations of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy or molecular therapies are often recommended. Radiation is often used following surgery to decrease the risk of microscopic cells becoming active. It can be used as primary treatment or it can be prescribed to palliate cancer which has already spread and is causing symptoms such as pain, and is a very effective modality in these situations. It is best if you ask your oncologist for answers to this question. Good luck.

Hello, You are a 38 year old woman with several symptoms including a persistently elevated platelet count. Normal platelet counts in individuals are between 150000 and 400000. Counts above 450000 are considered elevated. There are several reasons for this elevation. Essential thrombocytosis, abnormal production of platelet by the bone marrow, is one possibility. More commonly underlying inflammatory diseases can be a reason. Sometimes a person may have a normally elevated platelet count. There are several molecular changes in bone marrow cells that can be attributed to elevated platelet counts. Abnormal blood clots can sometimes be a result of elevated platelet counts. Complications of these may be strokes. A good place to find out more information is online through a Mayo Clinic discussion. WWW.newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org is an excellent place to review this condition. For your concerns it might be best to have a consultation with a hematologist for a complete evaluation.

Hello,

You are a 38 year old male with a moderately complicated medical history. More recently you have fallen and experienced compression fractures at T1 and T10 and a rib fracture. A CT scan has revealed a contrasting lesion in your liver. You are concerned that it may represent a primary liver cancer. Your liver blood tests are basically normal with a slight elevation of a transaminase. Your history gives symptoms of vomiting following alcohol intake (which can also be a cause of the elevated transaminase).

My thoughts are that hemangiomas are very commonly found when diagnostic CT scans are performed. I agree with the recommendation for an ultrasound. Primary liver cancers are rare but can occur. If the ultrasound reveals a solid lesion the only possible diagnostic technique would be a liver biopsy to obtain tissue for a diagnosis. These are usually performed with little possibility of side effects including discomfort. The ultrasound and possible biopsy will have to be recommended by your GP.

I would recommend that you follow the advice of your GP.

It might also be good for your overall health if you decrease or stop alcohol intake particularly because it gives you side effects.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are asking about the specificity of CD30 in tissue obtained from a biopsy. The reports that your question includes suggest that an intensive investigation using multiple stains has been performed and that an opinion was obtained from a second pathologist.

CD30 positivity has been reported in lymphomas, Hodgkins Disease and also non-Hodgkins lymphomas. However it can also be positive in benign skin conditions. Your doctor seems to have done an intensive investigation.

The symptoms started in March, 2021. Lymphomas would usually spread to other lymph node groups in a year and a half. My thought would be that these findings indicate a reactive process. If you should have nodal swelling, another biopsy should be obtained.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are asking the question of pain following colon cancer surgery.

In general, colon cancer surgery requires an incision to open the abdomen. Then the surgeon must identify the area where the cancer is located and excise a portion of the colon containing the cancer. This is done under general anesthesia.

Post operatively it is important for the abdomen to recover. Pain medicine is needed and used to control discomfort. It would be unlikely for any long term pain be encountered after a couple of days of postoperative discomfort.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are asking a question regarding thyroid cancer. Is radiation treatment needed for thyroid cancer.

It is not possible to definitely answer yes or no without more information regarding the cancer. The NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) publishes guidelines regarding treatment. It is best to do a google search on www.NCCN.org and look for the patient information discussion.

There are several types of thyroid cancer and treatment decisions are based on the size of the cancer. Most treatments involve surgery and the recommendations post-operatively depends on whether or not the tumor is able to be totally resected.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are a27 year old person who is noticing bruising on various parts of your body.

This is a condition that is difficult to specifically answer. Generally your body protects against bleeding and bruising through one’s platelets. These are very tiny cells that circulate and plug holes that they find in circulation. However there are various disorders that can cause a lower platelet count or non-functioning of platelets. Additionally gentle trauma to your skin can cause bruising. Medicines such as aspirin or anti-arthritis drugs can increase the incidence of bruising.

Is is best to see your doctor who can order appropriate tests to determine the cause. If you have started aspirin therapy recently it’s effects on platelets can last for several days. Other medications have shorter durations of effect on platelets.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are a 50 y/o man with non healing skin lesions on your head and slump in your neck. You have consulted a dermatologist who clearly thought that this was all due to an infection which he treated with an ineffective antibiotic.

My suggestion is that these lesions can be malignant, perhaps skin cancer. There are other causes of these symptoms such as diabetes. The dermatologist did not feel that there was anything to overly concern him. I am presuming that you have a return appointment with the dermatologist who will need to do more invasive testing to make a diagnosis.

The only way to be certain of the diagnosis is via a biopsy. I would suggest a biopsy of the lump in your neck and possibly a skin biopsy of one of the lesions on your scalp. It may be necessary to send the skin biopsy for cultures at the time that the tissue is collected.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are asking about the odds of a suspicious mass not being cancerous. The answer to your question is difficult. It all depends on the findings of a physical exam. Many times the masses represent benign cysts. The only way to find out the diagnosis is via a tissue biopsy. Treatment recommendations depend on the findings. If the doctor palpates a hard mass in your breast it may be cancer. But the only way to know for sure is by doing a biopsy and letting a pathologist inform the doctor and you know the results and appropriate treatment recommendations.

Good luck. I encourage you to follow your doctors advice.

Hello,

You are concerned with the cause of a pain syndrome that has been ongoing for several months. You give an excellent summary of your medical history.

However, the list of possible causes is enormous. It is not possible to make a definite diagnosis based on the information that you have provided.

Your appointment with a physician is an excellent step. A physician can take a history and perform a physical examination and order appropriate blood tests or X-rays.

Good luck with your investigations.

Hello,

You are asking about measures that can be taken to fight fatigue after radiation therapy. The Mayo Clinic sponsors a great discussion of self care for cancer patients. One can find their discussion on www.mayoclinic.org with the title “cancer fatigue:why it occurs and how to cope”. One needs to page down in the discussion to the paragraph called “self care options”. There are six suggested approaches. Take it easy with good napping times, conserve your energy, maintain your energy, get moving, Consider integrative medicine options, ask your doctor about nutritional supplements. It is best to have plenty of hydration and nutrition during treatments. It is best to have good restful sleep.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are asking how long following anesthesia for a medical condition are you back to normal.

I am guessing that “normal” to you is a condition of normal thinking, activities, and conversation. The answer to this question is not simple. In general anesthesia is a portion of a medical procedure during which medications cause one to go to sleep. In general anesthesia there is no memory of what took during the procedure. Other forms of anesthesia are local and are basically used to cause numbness in the area of the operation. Generally a patient stays awake during these forms of local anesthesia.

Generally, thinking and conversation are restored (back to normal) shortly after the surgery is complete. Drowsiness may persist for a couple of days following awakening. Activity levels however depend on the procedure being performed and the recovery period following the surgery.

It is best to ask your doctor about expected recovery times and what activities may be expected following surgery.

Good luck.

Hello

I am presuming that you have a lesion in your colon that requires a biopsy.

The safety of this procedure depends on the type of procedure that is used. Generally the procedure is part of a colonoscopy during which a needle is placed into the lesion and a piece of the tissue is sent to a pathologist to examine. There are only rare side effects from this approach.

I hope that this helps to answer your question.

Hello,

You are asking for the duration of radioactivity following radiation therapy.
This depends on the way that the radiation is being delivered. Most radiation is delivered by external beam aimed at the cancer cells. There is no residual radiation either during or following the radiation. Implanted devices or injections of radioactive sources are sometimes used. There may be a short time that radiation is emitted. It is best to stay away from pregnant women if these methods are used.

The American Cancer Society has an excellent discussion of radiation safety online. Try www.cancer.org. The discussion is labelled “radiation therapy safety.”.

It is best to ask this question of the radiation therapy physician for instructions on how to best treat yourself during and following radiation.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are a 31 year old woman with a close family history of breast cancer. You now have a discharge of fluid from your breast. You are concerned about cancer but have no health insurance.

I agree that this should be evaluated. I can suggest that you consult a local county hospital which is unlikely to be concerned about insurance. Or you can call your state health department to apply for Medicaid type insurance.

It is necessary to diagnose the cause of this discharge. You may have an infection. With your family history of breast cancer at a young age your concern about breast cancer is justified. There are tests that are recommended including genetic evaluations to determine your risk of having inherited this trait.

Good luck.

Hello.

You are asking about the length of radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

This type of treatment can be prescribed either before or after surgery and the treatment length depends on whether or not other treatment has occurred.

Conventional radiation treatment usually occurs daily for seven to eight weeks.

Proton radiation therapy is usually administered daily for five to six weeks.

I think it is necessary to ask these questions of the radiation oncologist who is giving the treatment.

Good luck.

Hello.

You are asking about pain as a side effect of a colon resection. This depends on the type of resection. The most common operation requires an abdominal incision. This can be uncomfortable for a few days following the surgery. Usually one is limited in the amount of food and drink one can take until the bowel comes back to life. There are usually medicines including pain medications that are prescribed to control postoperative discomfort.

Good luck. This type of surgery is likely curative for the cancer.

Hello,

You are a 30 year old man with a “black spot” on your heel. You are concerned that it might be a melanoma.

You state that there are no associated symptoms accompanying this lesion, and you don’t remember any trauma or associated illness with the appearance of this lesion.

Melanomas of the foot are rare but certainly occur in the list of diagnoses when an abnormal lesion is detected. There are other possible causes of these lesions, however, and it is best to ask your doctor to examine the lesion and counsel you on the best way to proceed. Occasionally exposure of your foot to injurious chemicals in new footwear may cause a discoloration. It may become necessary to perform a biopsy in order to know the definitive diagnosis.

Good luck.

Hello,

You are asking the question of what can you not do following prostate surgery. I am presuming that you will be having surgery for prostate cancer. However, prostate surgery can also be performed as a treatment for bps (benign prostatic hyperplasia).

There are several approaches to prostate surgery. A radical prostatectomy is often performed, but less invasive techniques can also be used. A good discussion of prostate surgery can be found online doing a google search using the question “what can you not do after prostate surgery?”. This will result in multiple choices to answer this question. An excellent discussion can be found at www.mayoclinic.org.

The answers to this question depend on the type of procedure that will be performed and the diagnosis. Generally a person can return home the day following surgery. There will likely be a catheter in place for a week or so following surgery. You will also have pain medication prescribed by your doctor. Generally you should be able to return to normal activity after four to six weeks.

There may be post operative treatment recommended depending on the diagnosis so activity recommendations may depend on these recommendations. It is best to ask this question of your doctor for recommendations.

Good luck.

Hello,

You have a friend who will receive radiotherapy for thyroid cancer and you are asking about the duration of the radiotherapy. This is very difficult question to answer without further information.

Most thyroid cancers are surgically removed. Radioactive iodine is often used post-operatively for cancer staging. If the cancer is found to have metastases the treatment then depends on the location of the tumors. This is a single administration of the agent followed by scans.