Can a benign lung tumor be cured?

Benign lung tumors are relatively rare, but there are many types of them. Hamartoma is the most common one. This symptom can be detected through X-ray examination. Benign tumors can also show many symptoms, the most common of which are cough and coughing up blood due to lung infection. Even benign tumors can sometimes cause great harm to patients. For example, they can easily cause blockage of blood vessels, often causing symptoms such as chest tightness and cough. For more serious symptoms, surgical treatment can be performed.

Clinical manifestations

The common clinical characteristics of benign lung tumors are: most cases are asymptomatic and have no positive signs. They are often discovered during X-ray examinations. Most tumors are located in the peripheral parts of the lungs, are small in size, and most are single, round, oval, lobed or nodular in shape, with uniform density and sharp edges. Very few have burrs.

The vast majority have no clinical symptoms and signs and are often discovered during X-ray examinations. Some cases may have symptoms such as cough, hoarseness, lung infection and hemoptysis. Symptoms of benign lung tumors vary depending on their classification. The size and location of peripheral benign tumors determine their manifestations and they rarely cause clinical symptoms. A small number of patients may have clinical symptoms due to large tumors, proximity to bronchus or other unknown reasons. The most common symptoms are cough and nonspecific chest pain, but they may also include chest tightness, hematuria, fatigue, etc.

The size and activity of central benign tumors determine their presentation, and most cases have obvious symptoms and signs. Smaller tracheal and bronchial tumors usually do not cause any symptoms. Larger tumors may cause wheezing because they do not completely block the trachea.

Surgery

Surgical treatment should be performed with thoracotomy and exploratory surgery. The principles of resection should be determined according to the morphology of the lung lesions and the extent of lung involvement: to preserve normal lung tissue to the greatest extent possible, to remove the lesions as thoroughly as possible, and to minimize postoperative complications.

Therefore, when the tumor is located around the lungs, local resection and minimally invasive surgery should be the main treatment options. When the tumor is located in the trachea or bronchus, sleeve resection is the main method of treatment. If the tumor is large and the trachea cannot be closed after resection, a skin tube can be placed in the neck to anastomose with it, and a tracheal tube can be placed in the tube for life.

Small central benign tumors can be removed with the help of bronchoscope, laser, etc. Radical surgery, such as lobectomy or pneumonectomy, may be the only necessary option in special circumstances. If the possibility of a benign tumor is considered before surgery and a large amount of lung tissue needs to be removed during surgery, a frozen pathological biopsy should be performed first. Once it is confirmed to be a benign tumor, the lung tissue should be preserved as much as possible.

Most benign lung tumors grow slowly and have little effect on lung function. If the lung function is poor or other physical conditions make it difficult to undergo open-chest surgery, the patient should be closely observed. In general, conservative treatment is rarely effective. For those who may have or already have complications, surgery should be performed as soon as possible to avoid irreversible damage to the lung parenchyma.