What kind of small lung nodules may be lung cancer

Are small lung nodules lung cancer? Small lung nodules are not necessarily lung cancer, because there are many reasons that can cause this condition, such as benign lesions such as fungal infection, hamartoma, inflammatory pseudotumor, and malignant lung cancer can also cause small lung nodules. Therefore, further examination is required based on the patient's personal situation to determine the exact cause of the disease.

In recent years, with the popularization of medical imaging, more and more patients come to the hospital for treatment because of "lung nodules" found during physical examinations. What patients are most worried about is whether the "nodules" are malignant tumors. What should we do when we find nodules? To this end, we have popularized the relevant knowledge of lung nodules, hoping to help you understand correctly. Lung nodules and their treatment and follow-up measures.

Pulmonary nodules refer to opaque, opaque, dense shadows with a diameter of less than 3 cm and located in the lung parenchyma. They are called nodules. Shadows larger than 3 cm are called masses. Pulmonary nodules can be solitary or multiple. Nodules can be divided into solid nodules and non-solid nodules. Non-solid nodules can be divided into partially solid and ground glass nodules. Small pulmonary nodules usually refer to nodules with a diameter of less than 10 mm. Nodules smaller than 5 mm are also called micronodules. With the advancement of imaging technology, many people will find them during physical examinations or inadvertently, and they are often nervous. We say that not all small pulmonary nodules are or develop into lung cancer, and many are benign. But there are also some early tumors or precancerous lesions.

Pulmonary nodules can be divided into benign nodules and malignant nodules. The former include benign tumors, tuberculosis or sarcoidosis, inflammatory pseudotumors or inflammatory nodules or organic pneumonia, fungal diseases or parasitic diseases, hematomas or vascular lesions. The latter include primary malignant tumors and metastatic tumors.

However, we need to remind everyone that even benign lesions should not be taken lightly, because a survey found that more than half of single small nodules in the lungs with a diameter greater than 25px are malignant. Therefore, even if the initial examination results are benign lesions, we still need to pay great attention to them and have regular examinations.

So, what kind of small lung nodules may be lung cancer? Here are 4 tips to determine whether small lung nodules have signs of cancer:

1. Judging from the morphology of small lung nodules, generally benign small lung nodules are relatively regular in shape, while malignant ones are irregular.

2. Judging from the edges of small lung nodules, generally, the edges of benign small lung nodules are relatively clear and without burrs, but the edges of malignant ones have tiny burrs.

3. Judging from the time it takes for small lung nodules to grow larger, generally benign small lung nodules will not grow larger, while malignant nodules will grow in size quickly.

4. Judging from the relationship between small lung nodules and adjacent tissues, generally benign small lung nodules will not involve surrounding adjacent tissues, while malignant ones are mostly related to traction of the adjacent pleura.

If you still cannot make a judgment based on the above points, you can also observe whether you have any other lung cancer-related symptoms, such as chest pain, repeated coughing, weight loss, etc., or do a chest CT scan for further diagnosis. If it is indeed lung cancer, you must actively cooperate with the treatment, because the early or late treatment of lung cancer is related to the patient's life.