What I would add is, as TN already mentioned, if it IS cancer, identifying the kind and stage (whether it has spread, and if so how far) is critically important and will determine the best treatment options. My Mother, Father-In-Law and two friends had lung cancer. My FIL had a Non Small Cell cancer which responded quite well to surgery removing a portion of his lung containing the cancer, followed by chemo. He lived over 15 more years, dying in his late 70's of a heart issue.
My Mother's lung cancer turned out to be Pancreatic in origin, with a mean survival time of six weeks. We were able to enroll her in a clinical trial and she lived almost two years -- with an excellent qualify of life until the final month.
One of my friends had a stage III cancer, treated aggressively with chemo and a relatively new cancer drug that cuts off the blood supply to tumours. So far she has remained in remission.
The other friend had a very aggressive Small Cell Carcinoma, and elected to not seek treatment, with predictable outcomes.
Although it is a rather different situation, my best friend had Stage IV breast cancer at time of diagnosis, that had metastasised to her spine. She was treated with a cocktail of a variety of new, more advanced cancer drugs -- including chemo, the drug I mentioned that interferes with tumour growth, and one that targets specific tumours, coating them so that they can't replicate, as well as radiation. Unfortunately, she lost her battle at the end, but lived for over seven years -- which was not bad considering she began with a diagnosis many consider 'terminal'.
So, I guess the main message from me is to be brave and assertive and take it one step at a time. If it IS cancer, find out all you can about it, ask questions, make certain you understand everything you are being told, and what choices and options exist. Be your own advocate -- research modern cancer treatments and push for the most successful treatments that are available. In the case of my best friend, she was shell-shocked for quite some while after diagnosis, and her husband was frightened and non-supportive. So I used to go with her to appointments since she was in such shock she absorbed about one tenth of what the oncologists were explaining. I would interpret it all for her later, and helped her think through decisions. Again, IF is cancer, you may want to take someone to play that role for you.
I also researched treatments and identified potential clinical trials for her, as it frightened her to do so.
I also should mention, in addition to the conventional therapy she also took apricot kernels, some kind of Chinese mushroom tea, mistletoe,other herbal remedies, and some kind of electrical treatment (I forget the name) that originated in Germany and is banned here. None of it appeared to have any effect.
You can do this! There are a lot of weapons in the arsenal, now!
