What are the precautions for small lung nodules

Small nodules in the lungs are a common clinical problem. This disease is difficult to diagnose and is prone to misdiagnosis. In addition, small nodules in the lungs have certain cancerous properties, so this disease must be treated promptly. The appearance of small lung nodules is related to many reasons, and there are many things that need attention in daily life. So what are the precautions for small lung nodules?

1. Notes

The follow-up time for patients with known malignant tumors should be shortened; the incidence of lung cancer in people under 35 years old is extremely low, less than 1%, and they are sensitive to radiation, so follow-up needs to be cautious and low-dose scanning should be performed; patients with fever should consider the possibility of inflammation, and follow-up or short-term follow-up after anti-infection is recommended; lung cancer lesions located in the upper lobes are more common; the mortality of cancer detected in smoking patients is significantly higher than that in non-smokers, and the growth rate of lesions is significantly higher than that of non-smokers. Nodules smaller than 4 mm are basically benign, and even for smokers, the malignancy rate is less than 1%; the possibility of malignancy of screening lesions larger than 8 mm is 10-20%, and more aggressive treatment should be adopted.

2. Seek medical attention promptly

Once small lung nodules are found, patients do not need to be overly nervous. They can go to the respiratory medicine department or thoracic surgery department of a general hospital or a specialized hospital for treatment. The doctor will choose other auxiliary examination methods according to the patient's specific situation, such as fiber bronchoscopy, CT-guided puncture, sputum cell examination, etc. to further clarify the diagnosis.

3. Processing

If a small lung nodule is highly suspected to be early lung cancer, surgical resection can be performed, and the 5-year survival rate can reach more than 80%. The early or late discovery and treatment have completely different meanings for the patient's prognosis and quality of life. Due to the rapid development of multi-slice spiral CT and low-dose CT scanning technology in recent years, clinical physicians can detect small lung nodules at an early stage, and nodules with a diameter of less than 2 mm can be clearly seen. This not only increases the difficulty of diagnosis for doctors, but also brings certain concerns to patients about whether to accept treatment.