Does increased texture on both lungs indicate lung cancer?

Increased bilateral lung texture does not equate to lung cancer, but is an imaging finding that may be caused by a variety of factors.

The lung texture is mainly composed of pulmonary arteries, pulmonary veins, bronchi and lymphatic vessels, and is presented as a radial stripe shadow extending from the hilum to the periphery of the lung field in imaging. Increased bilateral lung texture may be caused by a variety of factors, including physiological and pathological factors.

Physiological increase in bilateral lung texture is common in long-term smokers, the elderly and obese people, which usually represents normal physiological changes or individual differences. Pathological factors are more complicated and may involve various lung and bronchial diseases. For example, acute and chronic bronchitis can cause bronchial blood vessels to dilate and thicken due to inflammatory stimulation, which can be shown as increased lung texture on imaging. Long-term coughing may also cause similar changes. Heart failure caused by heart disease may cause pulmonary congestion, which is also manifested as increased lung texture.

Different from the increase of lung texture, lung cancer usually presents as lung mass, nodule or shadow in imaging. The diagnosis of lung cancer requires more accurate examination, such as chest CT, pathological examination, etc., combined with clinical symptoms and signs for comprehensive judgment.

For individuals who have increased lung texture, it is important to conduct a comprehensive assessment based on their clinical symptoms and other relevant examination results. If there are respiratory symptoms such as coughing, sputum, dyspnea, or other suspicious conditions, they should seek medical attention for further examination.

In daily life, the key to preventing lung diseases is to avoid smoking, reduce exposure to air pollution, maintain a healthy lifestyle, etc. For patients who already have lung diseases, active treatment and management are equally important.