Still need to be vigilant even 95% of lung nodules are benign lesions

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Still need to be vigilant even 95% of lung nodules are benign lesions

Still need to be vigilant even 95% of lung nodules are benign lesions. Lung cancer is a high-incidence cancer, and the proportion of women suffering from lung cancer is increasing.

60% of people have lung nodules

In recent years, with the continuous development of diagnosis and treatment technology, especially the widespread application of CT examinations in physical examinations, the early screening rate of lung cancer has been significantly improved, but at the same time, more and more lung nodules have also been discovered. Section. Especially since 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, many people have undergone chest CT examinations to rule out infections. As a result, lung nodules were accidentally discovered, and even some patients’ lung nodules were diagnosed as lung cancer.

In thoracic surgery clinics, almost half of the people come to see a doctor because of lung nodules. Many people are therefore very anxious and worried, which seriously affects their work and life. So, what exactly is this pulmonary nodule, and what does it have to do with lung cancer?

From a medical point of view, pulmonary nodules refer to focal, round-like, dense or subsolid lung shadows with a diameter of ≤3 cm, which can be isolated or multiple. Statistics show that 60% of people will find lung nodules. Among these lung nodules, 95% of lung nodules are benign lesions, and only about 5% of lung nodules are lung cancer.

But what we need to pay attention to is that in lung cancer is still the tumor with the highest morbidity and mortality.

What should you do if I find a lung nodule

When many people see small nodules in their lungs, they want to have them surgically removed to avoid future problems. We should pay attention to our attitude towards lung nodules, but not all small lung nodules need to be treated, but need to be analyzed in detail.

If it is a very small pulmonary nodule (not more than 1 cm when found for the first time), it usually does not require any treatment, and regular observation is enough.

One type of nodule that needs special attention is the ground glass nodule. If it can be detected in continuous CT observations and does not change much within 1 to 2 years, we must highly suspect that this lung nodule is early Lung cancer. But don’t be too nervous. The reason why the nodules do not change much in the observation for a long time is that the development of lung cancer at this stage is very slow, and it will take more than ten to twenty years or even longer to reach the stage that can metastasize and threaten human life. time. Therefore, at this stage, there is sufficient time to observe, and there is no need to rush for treatment.

On the contrary, if it is found that the ground-glass nodules in the lung have obvious changes in the short-term during the subsequent CT observations, such as growing very fast, or significantly shrinking or even disappearing, or changes in position and shape, then the nodule is basically Benign, it may be inflammation or bleeding in the lungs.

It should be noted that observation does not mean ignoring it. Regular review is usually required. How often the review should be performed depends on the size and nature of the nodule. For pulmonary nodules less than 1 cm found for the first time, we generally recommend that the observation is the first, and the CT is reviewed after 3 to 6 months, and the follow-up is adhered to. As for the method of examination, low-dose spiral CT is the first choice.

What kind of nodules should be operated on?

Observation is a good thing, but it makes it difficult for many patients to truly rest assured. After all, there is an “untimed bomb” buried in the body, which may “explode” at all times. It is inevitable that people want to “cut it and fast”.

If during the observation process, the nodule does become larger, it is usually considered to be more likely to be malignant, and it can be removed by surgery. The surgical cure rate of early lung cancer can reach almost 100%.

Now everyone is more concerned about surgical resection is whether it can be minimally invasive. In fact, minimally invasive surgery is no longer a difficult technique for doctors. At present, more than 90% of the lung nodules in our hospital can be minimally invasively removed.

But what needs science popularization is that many patients and their family members will be justified, thinking that minimally invasive surgery is a minimally invasive surgery that can be done in an outpatient clinic or does not involve much risk of surgery. In fact, the significance of minimally invasive surgery in different departments and operations is different.

For lung surgery in thoracic surgery, minimally invasive surgery is relative to the previous large incision thoracotomy. In the past, chest surgery required a very long incision. Now with the development of science and technology, we have introduced camera lenses and some specialized surgical instruments into thoracic surgery, so that the surgical incision can be very small. Due to the introduction of the camera, the doctor can observe the local area more clearly, so the operation is more detailed than before. But this kind of minimally invasive surgery is still performed under general anesthesia, the thoracic cavity is still opened, and the scope of the resection will not be reduced, so it is still a large-scale operation and must be hospitalized and completed in the operating room.

Due to the features of minimally invasive surgery on the chest wall and fine internal operations, it greatly shortens the postoperative hospital stay. Most patients with minimally invasive lung resection can be discharged from the hospital 2 to 3 days after the operation.

Finally, I would like to emphasize again that the lung nodules are not terrible, but the terrible thing is to go to the hospital in a hurry. It is very important to have a right attitude, do not panic, do not ignore, and go to a regular specialist hospital as soon as possible.

(source:internet, reference only)

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Important Note: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice.