Small, noncancerous lung nodules don't usually require treatment. You may need treatments, such as antibiotics or antifungal medications, if you have an infection. If the nodule grows, causes problems or is cancerous, you may need surgery.
Nodules between 6 mm and 10 mm need to be carefully assessed. Nodules greater than 10 mm in diameter should be biopsied or removed due to the 80 percent probability that they are malignant. Nodules greater than 3 cm are referred to as lung masses.
The most common causes of lung nodules are inflamed tissue due to an infection or inflammation (called granulomas) or benign lung tumors (such as hamartomas). Less common, malignant lung nodules are typically caused by lung cancer or other cancers that have spread to the lungs (metastatic cancer).
Benign (noncancerous) pulmonary lung nodules require no treatment. Cancerous lung nodules, however, usually are surgically removed. The procedures used depend on the size, condition and location of the nodule.
Benign nodules do not grow much if at all. Cancerous nodules, on the other hand, can double in size on average every four months (some as quickly as 25 days, some as slowly as 15 months). Growth can be evaluated through a series of x-rays or CT (computed tomography) scans over a period of time.
The commonly called “spot on the lung” is what doctors call a nodule. Feel reassured that most small nodules are benign and are not lung cancer. Even in the worst case scenario – the nodule does turn out to be lung cancer – it's likely to be at an early stage and very treatable.
Benign lung nodules and tumors don't often cause symptoms, and they're often found accidentally on an imaging test. If they do cause symptoms, they can cause: Shortness of breath. Wheezing.
Small, noncancerous lung nodules don't usually require treatment. You may need treatments, such as antibiotics or antifungal medications, if you have an infection. If the nodule grows, causes problems or is cancerous, you may need surgery.
Compared to their cancerous counterparts, benign lung nodules will not spread to multiple parts of the body (metastasis) and are typically not life-threatening. Sometimes, these nodules may be inflammatory in nature and can shrink or spontaneously disappear by the time of your next scan.
Most lung nodules are benign, or non-cancerous. In fact, only 3 or 4 out of 100 lung nodules end up being cancerous, or less than five percent. But, lung nodules should always be further evaluated for cancer, even if they're small.
The location of the lung nodule may guide the care team in evaluating possible risk, and studies indicate that nodules in the upper lobe may be more indicative of cancer. However, not all nodules in the upper region of the lung are cancerous, and not all nodules located elsewhere are benign.
If lung nodules are large or malignant, they may cause symptoms, including: Chronic cough.
Lung nodules are usually 5 mm to 25 mm in size, but the larger nodules (larger than 25 mm) are more likely to be cancerous than the smaller ones.
Benign lung nodules and tumors usually cause no symptoms. This is why they are almost always found accidentally on a chest X-ray or CT scan.
In a study where 54 solid nodules were measured diameter wise by multiple radiologists, Revel et al. found that for intrareader variability, 1.6 mm growth cut-off would ensure the detection of true growth, while for multiple radiologists a 1.7 mm growth cut-off would ensure the detection of true growth (21).
Observations: At least 95% of all pulmonary nodules identified are benign, most often granulomas or intrapulmonary lymph nodes. Smaller nodules are more likely to be benign. Pulmonary nodules are categorized as small solid (<8 mm), larger solid (≥8 mm), and subsolid.
Since few studies investigated the growth rate of pulmonary nodules, we defined the growth rate of pulmonary nodules according to previous studies. Most studies defined pulmonary nodules with a VDT >400 days and VDT ≤400 days as slow-growing and fast-growing pulmonary nodules, respectively (11, 19).
In the vast majority of cases, lung nodules turn out to be small benign scars, indicating the site of a previous small area of infection. These nodules may be permanent or may even spontaneously disappear by the time of the next scan. Most are of absolutely no consequence.
Benign pulmonary nodules can be caused by various things. Some of the causes include: Bacterial, fungal, or viral infections. This is usually an old infection that is no longer active, but it can sometimes be a current, active infection.
Lung nodules are small clumps of cells in the lungs. They're very common. Most lung nodules are scar tissue from past lung infections. Lung nodules usually don't cause symptoms.
Larger lung nodules, or nodules located near an airway, may have symptoms such as a chronic cough, blood-tinged mucus and saliva, shortness of breath, fever or wheezing.
In some cases, lung cancer can inflame the lining of the lungs or, tumours can press on the spinal column causing pain in the back, shoulder, neck or side.
For multiple solid noncalcified nodules with at least one nodule 6 mm or larger in diameter, follow-up is recommended at approximately 3–6 months, followed by an optional second scan at 18–24 months that will depend on estimated risk.
Biopsies are usually not recommended when nodules are small because it is very difficult to biopsy them safely. Doing a biopsy when a nodule is small can cause harm such as trouble breathing, bleeding, or infection. Biopsies are often done for nodules that are 9 mm or larger.
Lung nodules are small masses of tissue in the lung that can be cancerous, although the majority are non-cancerous. Dust and chemical exposure, infection or other tumors can all cause a lung nodule to form.