Question:

Hi, About a month ago, my father went to the dentist for a tooth that was infected. They put him on antibiotics and they were going to do a root canal after he returned from visiting me in France. He came to visit, and although his tooth was fine, he had a constant sinus problem, and was really tired a lot. When he finished the antibiotics, his sinus issue became worse, we took him to get more antibiotics and some steriods, but nothing made it better. He returned around the 12th of Aug. and has had yet another course of antibiotcs but has gotten steadily worse with consistant fever etc. Finally a week ago a blood test, mucus test and ct scan were done. They admitted him as his blood results were very high. He began having pain as well in his side in between ribs. After the scan, they informed him there was a mass about 3/4″ big in his right lung and fluid in the `chest cavity`. They had an oncologist talk to him and he said he thought is was lung cancer. Just before he left to see me, he was working in a very wooded area behind his house with no mask. My question is this, they do not have the mucus results back, and they do not have the results from the fluid they removed from his lung back either yet. NO ONE is looking at possible fungal infection. Is is possible this `mass` (and fluid) in his lung is related to his sinus issue and that is could be a fungal issue?? He had no real cough or problem before this sinus infection business to indicate any problem with lungs or otherwise, so it`s quite a shock. They seem to be treating his sinus issue and the lung issue as two completely seperate issues, is that the norm? Thanks for your time.

Answer:

A lung nodule, and associated fluid, can represent a variety of problems, including cancer and infection. The key is to obtain samples and evaluate them: fluid samples, lung biopsies, etc. While it is possible to make educated predictions, the diagnosis will depend on the microbiology and cytology/pathology results.

For more information:

Go to the Lung diseases health topic.