As early as 5 years ago, Aunt Shen was diagnosed with a lung nodule, which was only 3 4 mm in size at that time.
But by this year, her lung nodules had grown to 6, 7 mm and developed into mixed ground-glass nodules.
According to Aunt Shen, there was nothing wrong with her body at that time, and the doctor also told her to relax and observe regularly, but she took it lightly and only had one re-examination in 5 years.
It wasn't until she found that the nodules had become larger and the oral anti-infective drugs were ineffective, that she was nervous and found Director Yang Wenshu, a respiratory expert with superb medical skills in our hospital, for diagnosis and treatment.
In the medical field, pulmonary nodules are a common imaging finding, which refers to the appearance of round or irregular shapes, less than or equal to 3 cm in diameter, focal, round-like, and high-density shadows that appear on imaging of the lungs.
When a benign lung nodule is diagnosed, many patients may breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that it means it's all over and that there is no need to worry anymore. However, it's not that simple.
We need to understand what "benign" means
"Benign" means that the nodule is not caused by cancer or other malignant disease. Benign lung nodules can be caused by a variety of causes, such as old infections, inflammation, lung damage, or other noncancerous lesions. Although these nodules usually do not require further **, they still require regular attention and monitoring.
5 major signals that pulmonary nodules may become malignant
1. Enlargement of nodules.
2. The shape is irregular and the edges are blurred.
3. The nodule becomes "solid" and has a higher density.
4. Have a long-term smoking history.
5. Multiple pulmonary nodules were found.
For people who are older than 40 years old, have a history of smoking, have a history of exposure to dust, or have underlying lung diseases such as COPD and tuberculosis, as well as a family history of lung cancer, it is recommended to undergo a chest CT review every 3-6 months.
For low-risk people younger than 40 years old, no history of smoking and dust exposure, no underlying lung diseases and family history of lung cancer, it is recommended to recheck chest CT every 6-12 months.
Why do benign pulmonary nodules still need to be checked regularly?
1. Make sure that there is no change in the noduleRegular imaging tests can be done to see if the nodule has grown or undergone other morphological changes over a period of time. 2. Early detection of potential problems:Although the nodule is initially diagnosed as benign, it also means that the background of the lungs is not good, and it is easy to grow things, and the possibility of malignancy cannot be ruled out over time. Regular follow-up tests can help detect these signs early so that timely intervention can be made. 3. Monitor the overall health of the lungsIn addition to focusing on the nodule itself, regular check-ups provide a comprehensive assessment of the health of the lungs. Warm
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Some small nodules or nodules with unclear signs are difficult to determine their nature when they are first discovered, and we need to regularly review and dynamically observe the growth rate of nodules to further determine what type of nodules they are, so early detection and early conditioning are very necessary.
Note*: The content of this article is for reference only and is not used as a basis for diagnosing individual symptoms. Part of the *** network, invaded and deleted. ）