Do you require a biopsy prior to SBRT for pulmonary metastases from oligometastatic disease?
Specifically from a GI primary?
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
A biopsy of a lung mass can be central to the appropriate management of your case. Some of the risk factors for GI cancers and lung cancers are the same, ie smoking. We have had several patients with anal cancers who have subsequently been found to have synchronous lung cancers with diff...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
I completely agree with Salma. The preference is to biopsy whenever possible for the above listed reasons. There are certainly instances where biopsy is not feasible but usually these situations are limited.
On a slightly different note, during residency I was never thaught much a...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
Neal, I can't agree with you more. In the midwest, a suspicious lung nodule may well be histoplasmosis which can also light up on PET. Many years ago, I treated a child with Hodgkin lymphoma who developed a lung nodule that was hot on PET after completing 4 cycles of chemotherapy. The choices were t...