Connect
← Return to 8 mm lung nodule possible malignancy: What should I do?
Discussion
8 mm lung nodule possible malignancy: What should I do?
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Dec 12, 2025 | Replies (96)Comment receiving replies
Hello everyone,
I've had several lung nodules during the past 3 years with CT scans sometimes at 3, 6. or 12 month intervals.
One 3 mm nodule is now 4 mm.
A 5 mm nodule has resolved.
And since Aug. 2024 (1 yr.) I have a new 8 mm solid nodule in my right lung a little over halfway above the middle.
I have a family history of kidney cancer only, as far as I know.
I'm 67 and I do have a pulmonologist who has been with me during the past 3 yrs.
The current plan is a repeat Chest CT scan in 3 months.
What concerns me is I have had 2 different radiologists write their report of my CT scans and say "No nodules detected". Each time my pulmonologist looked at the scans and had the radiologists write an addendum at the top of their report correcting themselves due to her seeing what was actually there. Thank God she can read the scans, although even I can see where the 8 mm nodule is plain as day. The radiologists aren't building confidence.
At any rate, is the 3 month scan an acceptable approach since I have no idea how long it took the nodule to grow to 8 mm since it was a whole year vetween scans? And, what can I expect the next 6 months or so to look like? I have to admit since I went from "no nodules" to this situation I'm a little thrown by it.
Thanks for any input.
Deb
Replies to "Hello everyone, I've had several lung nodules during the past 3 years with CT scans sometimes..."
Hello Deb @ready2talk2000, Welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm glad you have consistent care through a pulmonologist, and one that thoroughly reviews your images. I have found that doctors often review the images themselves. They are usually very good at noticing areas of concern. I've had some that don't even seem to read the radiologist report, but they do pull up the images and show them to me. I appreciate that approach, even though I rarely understand what I'm looking at.
A 3-month waiting period between CT scans is generally the shortest time frame that we see, unless there is a change in how you are feeling: cough, pressure in your chest, swollen lymph nodes, etc. The waiting can be difficult. There are many things that can cause nodules in our lungs, most are not cancerous. For now, you know that there is something that needs further monitoring but try not to get ahead of that. Were the nodules first identified through lung screening, or were they found incidentally when you were treated for something else?
Connect
Hi Deb—hearing about a new or growing nodule can be really unsettling, and it’s easy to spiral after reading worst-case scenarios online. For a little perspective: I’ve been living with stage 4 EGFR-mutated adenocarcinoma for five years. Because mine spread to the brain, I’ve had brain MRIs, CT scans, and bloodwork every three months. Three different times, my very thorough oncologist saw a nodule change—up to about 50% growth over three months—and sent me straight for a PET scan. Each time, the follow-up showed the nodule was benign, and the next scan showed it had shrunk.
What’s helped me is mindset of: “Until my oncologist tells me otherwise, I don’t have cancer.” It’s saved me a lot of unnecessary worry over the years.
Lastly, three-month imaging is a common follow-up interval, and your team can always adjust sooner if something needs a closer look. The fact that they don't believe they have to is encouraging. In other words, they are watching you carefully—and that’s a good thing. Hang in there, and try to give yourself some breathing room while the experts do what they do best.