Does lung nodule mean lung cancer?

Does lung nodule equal lung cancer?

With the advancement of medical imaging technology and the improvement of the general public's health awareness, more and more people are finding that they have "lung nodules" during routine physical examinations.

Many friends who are diagnosed with lung nodules will be very anxious: "Doctor, is this cancer? Do I need surgery to remove it?"

Specialists will tell you that many lung nodules are actually the marks left by the years and the marks of old changes in the lungs. If you see "lung nodules" during your first chest CT scan, don't be too nervous or worried. More than 95% of lung nodules are benign and do not necessarily require clinical intervention, let alone immediate surgical removal.

Mixed nodules have more solid components than pure ground glass nodules. This type of nodule is the most dangerous, with a malignancy rate of over 60%.

When describing nodules, malignant nodules often have these words on imaging:

Lobulation, spicules, blood vessels, vacuoles, pleural indentations, etc. When you see the word "calcification", the possibility of benign is greater.

From the perspective of the possibility of malignant transformation, solid nodules are less than pure ground glass nodules and less than mixed ground glass nodules.

Especially for patients with older age, larger nodule diameter, and more high-risk risk factors, the probability of malignancy is relatively high.

However, it should be emphasized here that what has been said above about lung nodules is only to help everyone understand lung nodules and reduce unnecessary anxiety, rather than to make everyone look at the test results and feel more and more that they have lung cancer.

We just need to remember that most lung nodules are benign. If there are any suspicious signs, the doctor will arrange for us to undergo further examinations or pay attention to changes in the nodules during the next physical examination.