Do I need to take anti-inflammatory injections for lung nodules?

Nowadays, we can use a lot of medical equipment to know if there is something wrong with our body. For friends with lung nodules, they can actually understand their condition by continuing to have CT scans. So, if we suffer from lung nodule disease, do we need to get anti-inflammatory injections? Although anti-inflammatory injections can help us reduce the occurrence of inflammation, the specific instructions still require a doctor's guidance.

With the popularity of CT examinations, more and more people will find small lung nodules when taking chest X-rays. Although most small nodules are benign, they may cause irreversible consequences if they are ignored.

A "green bean" sized nodule was found in the lungs, which turned out to be early lung cancer

Mr. Xu is 31 years old. During a physical examination in February, he was found to have a small nodule of 5 mm in his right lung. At the time, he did not pay much attention to it because it was too small. But his wife thinks it should not be taken lightly.

Seven months later, Mr. Xu followed his wife to the hospital for a follow-up examination. CT scan showed that the nodule had grown larger and became 6 mm. The doctor also found that Mr. Xu's lung nodules were extremely irregular in shape and suspected that they might be lung cancer, so he recommended that Mr. Xu undergo surgery to remove them immediately.

Mr. Xu was very confused by the doctor's advice. He thought that he did not have any symptoms of lung cancer, so how could a small nodule like that be lung cancer?

The doctor patiently explained that lung cancer evolves from small nodules, and that lung cancer does not necessarily show symptoms in the early stages.

Unable to resist the persuasion of the doctor and his wife, he finally went through the surgery.

Sure enough, pathological examination showed that Mr. Xu was indeed suffering from early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. Fortunately, he underwent surgery in time as recommended by the doctor, and was discharged from the hospital smoothly in less than a week.

I found a small nodule in my lung. Is it lung cancer?

Most people would be frightened when they find shadows in their lungs. However, authoritative experts say that small nodules smaller than 5 mm are almost impossible to worsen, but regular follow-up is still required to prevent the occurrence of low-probability events.

Experts point out that all lung cancers evolve from small nodules, so it is the "father" of lung cancer!

Professor Bai Chunxue from the Respiratory Department of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University revealed that the latest data in Shanghai showed that the proportion of small lung nodules detected during physical examinations was as high as 20%, and half of these patients may have early-stage lung cancer.

If surgical resection is performed in time, the 5-year survival rate after surgery is close to 100%. "They are just like ordinary people and can live to be 70 or 80 years old without any problem," said Professor Bai.

Small lung nodules, benign or malignant?

Of course, it is irrational to perform surgery once a small nodule is discovered.

Experts suggest that you can use the following 5 tips to determine whether it has the potential to be malignant.

Morphology: Benign nodules are generally regular in shape; malignant ones are irregular.

Edge: The edge of benign nodules is clear and has no burrs; the edge of malignant nodules has tiny burrs.

Relationship with adjacent tissues: Benign nodules have no connection with adjacent tissues; malignant nodules are mostly related to traction of the adjacent pleura.

Other secondary changes in the chest: Malignant nodules may cause lymphadenopathy and pleural effusion; benign nodules do not.

Enlargement time: Benign nodules generally do not increase in size; malignant nodules increase in size quickly.

If the above points still cannot make a judgment, a chest CT scan can be done for further diagnosis.

In addition, Zhu Xiaoli, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Zhongda Hospital, reminded that people at high risk of lung cancer should undergo regular lung cancer screening to facilitate early detection and treatment.

High-risk groups include: people with a family history of lung cancer, those over 45 years old, those who have smoked for more than 20 years, those who have repeated coughs for more than 3 months, and those with pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other diseases.