My Mums had a cough for a few weeks now, and recently shes been getting breathless often and feeling tired easier. She also woke up in the night to find she was gagging on some liquid that she thought might be blood. We did go to the doctors and they took an X-Ray but it wasnt possible for her to wait overnight for a scan. Were worried it might be lung cancer, but would that show up on an ordinary X-Ray?
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. I can understand your concern. Chest x-ray is just a screening tool for lung diseases. It is not 100% confirmatory for lung cancer. But we can get idea about high possibility of lung cancer if chest x-ray is suggestive of mass lesion or atelectasis or pleural effusion. For confirmation of lung cancer, CT thorax and biopsy are required. So if you want to rule out lung cancer in your mothers case, get done CT thorax and biopsy. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your mother. Thanks.