Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCharacteristicsTypesSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Characteristics
Types
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Benign lung tumors (pulmonary tumors) are relatively common, and are likely to be found much more frequently with the widespread use ofCT lung cancer screening. You may find yourself feeling reassured if you are told a tumor is benign, but what could it be? The most common benign lung tumors include hamartomas and adenomas, but there are many other types of tumors as well. Benign tumors are usually asymptomatic, but when they cause symptoms they may include a cough, respiratory infections due to airway obstruction, or coughing up blood. The diagnosis usually includes imaging studies such as a CT scan, but further testing or a lung biopsy may be needed to make the diagnosis and rule out other conditions. Most benign tumors do not require treatment, but surgery to remove a tumor may be needed in some cases.
Importance
While most benign tumors are harmless, a major concern with benign tumors is differentiating these from malignant (cancerous) tumors. The survival rate forlung canceris highest when caught and treated in the early stages.
Terminology
The terminology surrounding lungtumorscan be confusing, and it’s helpful to first define a few terms:
Characteristics and Behavior
There are many different types of benign lung tumors. These tumors can behave similarly to malignant tumors in some ways, but there are important distinctions.
Most benign lung tumors are harmless and do not need to be treated
Types and Classification
The World Health Organization classifies lung tumors into several categories (that include both benign and malignant tumors). Several types of benign tumors within these categories (of which the most common include hamartomas and adenomas) include:
Mesenchymal Tumors
Adenomas
Salivary Gland Type Tumors
Myoepithelial tumors: These tumors are actually considered to be malignant, and can sometimes spread, but often behave like benign tumors. They are very rare and therefore little is known about their prognosis or best treatments.
Papillomas
Other Tumors
Most often, benign lung tumors are asymptomatic (have no symptoms) and are found accidentally when a chest X-ray or chest CT is done for another reason. There are, however, exceptions.
Benign tumors in or near the airways (endobronchial tumors) may result in obstruction of the airways. This can lead to apersistent cough, recurrent respiratory infections such as pneumonia,coughing up blood(hemoptysis), collapse of part of a lung (atelectasis), wheezing, or shortness of breath.
Benign tumors do not usually result in symptoms common with lung cancer such as unintentional weight loss or hoarseness.
The causes of most types of benign lung tumors are unknown. Some risk factors include:
Diagnosing a lung tumor begins with taking a careful history, including that of risk factors, and a physical exam.
Imaging Studies
A chest X-ray is frequently the first test ordered and may pick up a suspicious finding. It’s important to note that a chest X-ray alone cannot prove conclusively that a tumor is benign or malignant. In fact, up to25% of lung cancers are missed on chest X-rays. Lung tumors can be seen on a chest X-ray when they reach about 1 cm in diameter
A chest CT is usually done to further clarify something seen on a chest X-ray, or a benign tumor may be discovered only when a CT is performed. Other imaging tests may also be done at times, including MRI, bone scan, or PET scan.
Procedures
If a tumor is near the large airways, it may be seen onbronchoscopy. A biopsy may also be done via the airways during this procedure (endobronchial biopsy).
When the diagnosis is uncertain, alung biopsymay be needed. This can be done through the chest wall (fine needle aspiration biopsy), during bronchoscopy, or instead as a surgical procedure (open biopsy).
Characteristics of Benign Lung Tumors on Imaging Studies
Compared with malignant (cancerous) tumors, benign lung tumors are more likely if:
The location of the tumor (whether in the outer regions (periphery) of the lungs or centrally near the large airways) is not very helpful in distinguishing between benign and malignant tumors.
The treatment of a benign tumor will depend primarily on whether the tumor is causing symptoms and the particular type of tumor that is present. When a benign tumor is small, the entire tumor may be removed during a biopsy procedure.
When a benign tumor must be removed surgically, there are now minimally invasive procedures that allow for a much faster recovery. The procedure known as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery involves making a few incision in the chest wall in order to gain access to the lungs. Special instruments are then used to remove an area of the lungs. This method can be used to remove even an entire lobe of the lungs, but is not possible with tumors in all regions of the lungs.
A Word From Verywell
If you’ve been told that you have a benign lung tumor you may be relieved at first, but then wonder, “what could it be?” Benign lung tumors represent a very diverse group of tumors. Like cancerous tumors, they can sometimes grow large, cause symptoms, push on vital structure, or recur after they are removed, but unlike malignancies, they do not spread to other regions of the body. Fortunately, a large number of these tumors are harmless and can simply be left alone without treatment.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lim JH, Lee N, Choi DW, et al.Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma mimicking lung cancer: Case report and review of the literature.Thoracic Cancer.2016. 7(4): 508–511. doi:10.1111/1759-77.12341Moneke I, Zeisel C, Elze M, et al.Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma arising from mucinous cystadenoma of the lung: Case report and review of the literature.Journal of Thoracic Disease.2018. 10(4): E243–E249. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.04.19Additional ReadingHashimoto H, Tsugeno Y, Sugita K, Kentaro I.Mesenchymal tumors of the lung: Diagnostic pathology, molecular pathogenesis, and identified biomarkers.Journal of Thoracic Disease.2019;11(S1):S9-S24. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.12.04Kikano GE, Fabien A, Schilz R.Evaluation of the solitary pulmonary nodule.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(12):1084-1091.Massion PP, Walker RC.Indeterminate pulmonary nodules: Risk for having or for developing lung cancer?Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2014;7(12):1173-1178.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lim JH, Lee N, Choi DW, et al.Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma mimicking lung cancer: Case report and review of the literature.Thoracic Cancer.2016. 7(4): 508–511. doi:10.1111/1759-77.12341Moneke I, Zeisel C, Elze M, et al.Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma arising from mucinous cystadenoma of the lung: Case report and review of the literature.Journal of Thoracic Disease.2018. 10(4): E243–E249. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.04.19Additional ReadingHashimoto H, Tsugeno Y, Sugita K, Kentaro I.Mesenchymal tumors of the lung: Diagnostic pathology, molecular pathogenesis, and identified biomarkers.Journal of Thoracic Disease.2019;11(S1):S9-S24. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.12.04Kikano GE, Fabien A, Schilz R.Evaluation of the solitary pulmonary nodule.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(12):1084-1091.Massion PP, Walker RC.Indeterminate pulmonary nodules: Risk for having or for developing lung cancer?Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2014;7(12):1173-1178.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Lim JH, Lee N, Choi DW, et al.Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma mimicking lung cancer: Case report and review of the literature.Thoracic Cancer.2016. 7(4): 508–511. doi:10.1111/1759-77.12341Moneke I, Zeisel C, Elze M, et al.Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma arising from mucinous cystadenoma of the lung: Case report and review of the literature.Journal of Thoracic Disease.2018. 10(4): E243–E249. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.04.19
Lim JH, Lee N, Choi DW, et al.Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma mimicking lung cancer: Case report and review of the literature.Thoracic Cancer.2016. 7(4): 508–511. doi:10.1111/1759-77.12341
Moneke I, Zeisel C, Elze M, et al.Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma arising from mucinous cystadenoma of the lung: Case report and review of the literature.Journal of Thoracic Disease.2018. 10(4): E243–E249. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.04.19
Hashimoto H, Tsugeno Y, Sugita K, Kentaro I.Mesenchymal tumors of the lung: Diagnostic pathology, molecular pathogenesis, and identified biomarkers.Journal of Thoracic Disease.2019;11(S1):S9-S24. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.12.04Kikano GE, Fabien A, Schilz R.Evaluation of the solitary pulmonary nodule.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(12):1084-1091.Massion PP, Walker RC.Indeterminate pulmonary nodules: Risk for having or for developing lung cancer?Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2014;7(12):1173-1178.
Hashimoto H, Tsugeno Y, Sugita K, Kentaro I.Mesenchymal tumors of the lung: Diagnostic pathology, molecular pathogenesis, and identified biomarkers.Journal of Thoracic Disease.2019;11(S1):S9-S24. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.12.04
Kikano GE, Fabien A, Schilz R.Evaluation of the solitary pulmonary nodule.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(12):1084-1091.
Massion PP, Walker RC.Indeterminate pulmonary nodules: Risk for having or for developing lung cancer?Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2014;7(12):1173-1178.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
