Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsLung Nodules DefinedCausesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Lung Nodules Defined
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Benign SPNs can develop due to many causes, including infections, cysts, and autoimmune diseases. If an SPN is malignant (cancerous), it may be cancer that began in your lungs, or cancer that originated in another area and metastasized to your lung.
A solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) is a round or oval area in the lung that’s smaller than 3 cm (1.2 inches or less). Of all SPNs detected, 95% arebenign.However, they can change and turn into lung cancer. The chance of a nodule becoming malignant increases with its size and other risk factors.
Healthcare providers diagnose the nodule as a lung mass if it’s larger than 3 cm. A mass is immediately considered to be suspicious of lung cancer.
Pulmonary nodules are fairly common, with around 1.6 million discovered during CT scans each year.There are many different causes of SPN, some of which are harmless or readily treatable, while others are serious and even life-threatening.
Causes of Benign Pulmonary Nodules
Causes of benign SPNs include:
Causes of Malignant Pulmonary Nodules
An SPN could be lung cancer, most commonlylung adenocarcinoma. However, if it’s malignant, it can also be ametastatic cancerthat originated elsewhere in your body. For example, cancers that begin in the skin, breast, colon, testicles, kidneys, head, and neck often spread to the lungs.
Most people won’t have any signs or symptoms because an SPN is so small. If symptoms appear, they often imitate a common chest cold or mild flu.
Lung cancer doesn’t cause symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage. When symptoms appear, you may experience:
Most SPNs show up when patients need achest X-rayorCT scanfor another condition. Nodules are found in nearly half of patients undergoing lung cancer screening.
If an SPN is found on imaging, your healthcare provider carefully evaluates the nodules' size and characteristics.The risk of the nodule being malignant increases if it’s larger in size, has irregular borders, and appears to be subsolid.Additionally, malignant nodules are more likely to be in the upper lobe of the lung.
Risk Factors
Your healthcare provider also considers yourrisk factors. The following factors raise the chances of an SPN being lung cancer:
Diagnostic Steps
After your assessment, your healthcare provider determines the next step. In some cases, immediate action is required; in others, a watch-and-wait approach is more appropriate. They may recommend one of the following:
The Fleischner Society Guidelines offer the following recommendations for monitoring solitary pulmonary nodules based on their size and an assessment of your risk factors:
A small, benign nodule seldom requires treatment. However, your healthcare provider may monitor it to be sure it doesn’t enlarge or change its appearance. They may want to biopsy and possibly remove nodules that are large, grow, or are suspicious for cancer.
If cancer is involved, you will undergo testing to determine the type andstage of lung cancer, some of which are less aggressive and more readily treatable. The treatment approach will depend on these factors, as well as your general health.
Options include:
Summary
A solitary pulmonary nodule often causes no harm. It also doesn’t need treatment as long as it doesn’t change. If an underlying health condition causes your SPN, you’ll need the treatment appropriate for that problem.
A benign nodule can turn cancerous. Your risk of that happening depends on the nodule’s characteristics, especially its size, and your risk factors for lung cancer. For this reason, your healthcare provider may schedule routine appointments and diagnostic imaging to monitor the nodule.
9 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.Walter K.Pulmonary Nodules.JAMA.2021;326(15):1544. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.12319Schmid-Bindert G, Vogel-Claussen J, Gütz S, et al.Incidental Pulmonary Nodules - What Do We Know in 2022.Respiration. 2022;101(11):1024-1034. doi:10.1159/000526818.American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of lung cancer.Farjah F, Monsell SE, Greenlee RT, et al.Patient and Nodule Characteristics Associated With a Lung Cancer Diagnosis Among Individuals With Incidentally Detected Lung Nodules.Chest. 2023 Mar;163(3):719-730. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2022.09.030.Vlahos I, Stefanidis K, Sheard S, et al.Lung cancer screening: nodule identification and characterization.Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2018 Jun;7(3):288-303. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2018.05.02.MacMahon H, Naidich DP, Goo JM, et al.Guidelines for Management of Incidental Pulmonary Nodules Detected on CT Images: From the Fleischner Society 2017.Radiology. 2017 Jul;284(1):228-243. doi:10.1148/radiol.2017161659.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung biopsy.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Solitary pulmonary nodule.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung cancer treatment.
9 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.Walter K.Pulmonary Nodules.JAMA.2021;326(15):1544. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.12319Schmid-Bindert G, Vogel-Claussen J, Gütz S, et al.Incidental Pulmonary Nodules - What Do We Know in 2022.Respiration. 2022;101(11):1024-1034. doi:10.1159/000526818.American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of lung cancer.Farjah F, Monsell SE, Greenlee RT, et al.Patient and Nodule Characteristics Associated With a Lung Cancer Diagnosis Among Individuals With Incidentally Detected Lung Nodules.Chest. 2023 Mar;163(3):719-730. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2022.09.030.Vlahos I, Stefanidis K, Sheard S, et al.Lung cancer screening: nodule identification and characterization.Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2018 Jun;7(3):288-303. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2018.05.02.MacMahon H, Naidich DP, Goo JM, et al.Guidelines for Management of Incidental Pulmonary Nodules Detected on CT Images: From the Fleischner Society 2017.Radiology. 2017 Jul;284(1):228-243. doi:10.1148/radiol.2017161659.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung biopsy.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Solitary pulmonary nodule.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung cancer treatment.
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.
Walter K.Pulmonary Nodules.JAMA.2021;326(15):1544. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.12319Schmid-Bindert G, Vogel-Claussen J, Gütz S, et al.Incidental Pulmonary Nodules - What Do We Know in 2022.Respiration. 2022;101(11):1024-1034. doi:10.1159/000526818.American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of lung cancer.Farjah F, Monsell SE, Greenlee RT, et al.Patient and Nodule Characteristics Associated With a Lung Cancer Diagnosis Among Individuals With Incidentally Detected Lung Nodules.Chest. 2023 Mar;163(3):719-730. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2022.09.030.Vlahos I, Stefanidis K, Sheard S, et al.Lung cancer screening: nodule identification and characterization.Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2018 Jun;7(3):288-303. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2018.05.02.MacMahon H, Naidich DP, Goo JM, et al.Guidelines for Management of Incidental Pulmonary Nodules Detected on CT Images: From the Fleischner Society 2017.Radiology. 2017 Jul;284(1):228-243. doi:10.1148/radiol.2017161659.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung biopsy.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Solitary pulmonary nodule.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung cancer treatment.
Walter K.Pulmonary Nodules.JAMA.2021;326(15):1544. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.12319
Schmid-Bindert G, Vogel-Claussen J, Gütz S, et al.Incidental Pulmonary Nodules - What Do We Know in 2022.Respiration. 2022;101(11):1024-1034. doi:10.1159/000526818.
American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of lung cancer.
Farjah F, Monsell SE, Greenlee RT, et al.Patient and Nodule Characteristics Associated With a Lung Cancer Diagnosis Among Individuals With Incidentally Detected Lung Nodules.Chest. 2023 Mar;163(3):719-730. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2022.09.030.
Vlahos I, Stefanidis K, Sheard S, et al.Lung cancer screening: nodule identification and characterization.Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2018 Jun;7(3):288-303. doi:10.21037/tlcr.2018.05.02.
MacMahon H, Naidich DP, Goo JM, et al.Guidelines for Management of Incidental Pulmonary Nodules Detected on CT Images: From the Fleischner Society 2017.Radiology. 2017 Jul;284(1):228-243. doi:10.1148/radiol.2017161659.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung biopsy.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Solitary pulmonary nodule.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lung cancer treatment.
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