- How to know if the lump is cancer
- Symptoms of malignant nodule
- What can cause a lump
- How the treatment is done
The diagnosis of a nodule in the lung is not the same as cancer, since, in most cases, the nodules are benign and, therefore, do not put life at risk, especially when they are smaller than 30 mm.
However, in more rare cases, the presence of a nodule can be an early sign of cancer in the lung or elsewhere on the body, so it is important to maintain a regular evaluation with imaging exams to assess growth and changes in way, starting treatment if necessary.
Lung cancer occurs in only 5% of nodule cases and is more common in the elderly, people with a family history of cancer or smokers. This means that a young person, non-smoker and with a small nodule has an almost non-existent risk of lung cancer, since even in the elderly, with larger nodules and smokers, the chances of developing cancer from the nodule are very low.
How to know if the lump is cancer
To find out if a nodule is malignant, the pulmonologist usually orders other imaging tests, such as CT scan or pet-scan, and, about 4 months later, repeats these tests to assess whether the nodule has grown or changed in shape and appearance.
Normally, the benign nodules remain the same size and change little, while the cancer nodules increase in size to almost double and significantly change their shape, showing an irregular mass instead of a round mass, which is characteristic of the benign pulmonary nodule..
Symptoms of malignant nodule
Nodules in the lung rarely cause any type of symptom, both if they are malignant and if they are benign and, therefore, it is common that they are only discovered accidentally during routine examinations, such as a chest X-ray or CT scan..
However, some symptoms that can alert the presence of changes in the lungs, such as nodules, and that should be evaluated by a pulmonologist, include difficulty in breathing, easy tiredness, chest pain and feeling of shortness of breath.
What can cause a lump
The causes of nodules in the lung vary according to their type:
- Benign nodule: it is usually the result of scars on the lung caused by previous infections, such as pneumonia, or as a consequence of tuberculosis, for example; Malignant nodule: it presents the same causes of lung cancer and, therefore, it is more frequent in smokers and in people who are frequently exposed to dangerous chemicals, such as arsenic, asbestos or beryllium, for example.
In addition, the malignant lump may also be caused by cancer in another part of the body, such as the stomach or intestine, and other tests, such as colonoscopy or endoscopy, may be necessary when cancer is suspected in these organs.
How the treatment is done
The treatment varies according to the type, and in the case of the benign nodule, no type of treatment is normally recommended, making only a constant evaluation with an X-ray per year, or every 2 years, to ensure that the nodule does not increase in size, nor does it change its characteristics.
In case the nodule may be malignant, the pulmonologist usually advises the performance of a small surgery to remove a piece of the nodule and analyze it in the laboratory, in order to confirm the presence of cancer cells. If the result is positive, it is usually necessary to have another major surgery. If the nodule is small, it may be removed only, but if it is larger, it may be necessary to remove a portion of the lung. Check out all treatment options for cases of lung cancer.
