quote:

Lung nodules are really difficult to make sense of. Sometimes they are clearly benign (not cancereous), e.g. if they are calcified (after prior infection), and sometimes they are very suspicious due to their shape being described e.g. as spiculated.

Unfortunately this leaves the majority, especially small lung nodules in a gray zone. I always tell my patients that if you would take 20 "healthy" people walking outside on the street and would do CT scans you would find several with these nodules.

PET scans (especially PET-CT) can sometimes help if they are larger than 5mm. Below that it's very difficult.

The 100% way to know is to take them out surgically, but that's not appropriate as most will turn out to be benign.

If you have lung nodules you should discuss them very carefully with your doctor. It's vital to follow them very closely, because if they turn out to be cancerous it is extremely important to find out as early as possible.
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Tanguy Seiwert, MD
Medical Oncologist, University of Chicago