Are lung nodules tumors? Early diagnosis is important

Tumors are relatively common nowadays and seriously affect the health of the lungs. If nodules are found during the examination, it is a prerequisite for the presence of a tumor. You must go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible and be careful of possible complications. For example, patients will show that tumors are divided into benign and malignant, but there are currently fewer benign lung tumors. Generally, lung nodules may be early symptoms and patients need to undergo further diagnosis.

First of all, we need to know that lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors and seriously threatens human life and health. Over the past half century, the incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer in various countries have been rising sharply, and the number of lung cancer patients in my country ranks first in the world. Lung cancer is often asymptomatic or has mild symptoms in its early stages, making it difficult to detect. By the time it is discovered, it has often already metastasized. If lung cancer can be detected and treated at an early stage, its five-year survival rate is improved, so early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer are crucial.

Lung tumors are divided into benign and malignant. Benign lung tumors are relatively rare, and their incidence is much lower than that of malignant lung tumors.

Benign lung tumors include pulmonary hamartoma, inflammatory pseudotumor, pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma, etc.

Other rare benign lung tumors: pulmonary cavernous hemangioma, pulmonary fibroma, pulmonary lipoma, pulmonary leiomyoma, pulmonary teratoma, etc. are all rare benign lung tumors. The cause of the disease is unclear and it is difficult to make an accurate diagnosis before surgery. Most of them are confirmed by pathological examination after surgery and generally have a good prognosis.

In recent years, with the advancement of CT scanning technology and the application of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) software, the detection rate of lung nodules has increased significantly. Lung nodules are usually found during chest X-rays or chest CT scans during physical examinations. With the rapid increase in the incidence of lung cancer, lung cancer now accounts for more than half of lung nodules. Therefore, lung nodules found during physical examinations must not be ignored.

Many patients have a single, very small nodule, called a solitary pulmonary nodule. A solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) refers to a solitary, round-like lesion in the lung with a diameter of less than 3 cm, not accompanied by atelectasis and hilar lymphadenopathy. Among SPNs, benign granulomas account for about 50%, malignant tumors account for about 30%, followed by hamartomas, pulmonary sclerosing hemangiomas, aspergilloma, and intrapulmonary lymph nodes. It is generally believed that the smaller the diameter of the nodule, the more fat and calcification appear in the lesion, which indicates that it is benign. The calcification is characterized by concentric circles that are central, popcorn-shaped or diffusely distributed. It has been reported that calcification is occasionally seen in 4% to 7% of lung cancers, but it is often distributed in irregular spots.

High-resolution CT (HRCT) with thin-layer scanning and 3D CT image reconstruction (3D2CT) using spiral CT have made new breakthroughs in detecting tiny lesions (several millimeters) in any part of the lungs and understanding the subtle structure of the lesions, thereby greatly improving the level of differential diagnosis between benign and malignant lesions.