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Suggest Treatment For Nodule On Lower Right Lung
Question: HI I'm 54 year old former smoker with an 8mm nodule on lower right lung. I quit smoking 13 years ago. It was found by accident. However, after reviewing previous films, it turns out this nodule has been there since 2010. It was 6mm at that time. I had a PET scan that showed 2.2 uptake. Is there anything else this could be other than cancer. Also, PET showed I had nothing anywhere else.
Brief Answer:
It doesn't seem to be cancerous
Detailed Answer:
Hi,Thanks for your query.
In your case the nodule has doubling time far more than 400 days, i.e the cut off value for cancerous nodule (21-400 days).
Also PET uptake of more than 2.5 is usually considered cancerous.
So, your lesion doesn't seem to be cancerous and actually nothing is required at present. But do follow yourself annually with low dose CT scanning for the growth of the nodule as you have a history of smoking....
Non cancerous nodule has many differential diagnosis like it can be fungal or tubercular infection which has got calcified or it may be harmless hamartoma....
Don't be scared unless it causes symptoms and start growing rapidly....
Best wishes
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Pet scsn report Said to consider this malignant until proven otherwise. Is ths a standard statement when uptake is noted?
Brief Answer:
Go for CT guided FNAC for confirmation.
Detailed Answer:
Pet is borderline here, so they have said like this. If you wish and if lesion is peripheral, you can go for CT guided FNAC or biopsy of the lesion.....This will confirm the diagnosis, and is an OPD procedure....
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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