Are pulmonary glass nodules malignant?

When conducting a lung examination, small lung nodules may be detected. What is going on? In fact, the detection rate is relatively high, especially for many long-term smokers, who are prone to small lung nodules. If small lung nodules appear, you must be vigilant, because this situation can eventually induce a relatively high incidence of lung cancer. Therefore, for such a group of people, regular follow-up examinations should be carried out to avoid greater harm to their health. In addition, according to the different characteristics of the small lung nodules, they are divided into ground glass nodules, multiple small nodules, solitary small nodules, etc.

1. Ground glass nodules

The key point is the ground glass nodule. The ground glass nodule looks like a small piece of water vapor on the car window glass. It is hazy and unclear, but it does not completely block the vision. Ground glass nodules are divided into full ground glass nodules and mixed ground glass nodules. The periphery becomes lighter and lighter, and the middle looks denser. Sometimes it looks uneven in density, and it looks like the outside is pulp and the inside is a hard core. Both of these need to be vigilant, and many times they are lung cancer.

2. Multiple small nodules

Multiple small nodules refer to at least two small nodules in the lungs. There is a relatively reliable pattern for such multiple nodules. The more concentrated the nodules are, such as concentrated in one lobe segment of one lung, the more likely they are to be benign. The more scattered they are, including in multiple lobes, especially large and small nodules distributed in the periphery close to the chest wall, the more likely they are to be malignant, and they may be metastases from other organs.

3. Isolated small nodules

The distribution of isolated small nodules is important. If they exist alone in the upper lung, in addition to tumors, tuberculosis should also be considered. In our country, tuberculosis is a highly prevalent disease and should be excluded first. Especially for nodules with thin-walled cavities in the upper lung, if there are satellite lesions around them, tuberculosis should be considered more.

There is no need to be afraid if nodules are found during the examination. Most nodules are benign, and only a very small number require you to be wary of their benign or malignant nature. Regularly reviewing chest CT and observing changes in nodule size is the best way to prevent lung cancer.