8 mm lung nodule possible malignancy: What should I do?

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?

Hello @hatterasj10202 , welcome to Mayo Connect. I have the ALK mutation, stage IV, I've been on a targeted therapy since 2020. I've been fortunate in that it has continued to be effective for me, fingers crossed.
I'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with this. It's never easy. Are you taking one of the targeted therapies? How long ago were you diagnosed?

@trudyhs, did I see a post from you regarding MET exon14 deletion? What treatments have you had?

I watched a nodule increase over 4 years from 6mm to 14mm and only then had surgery to remove it - Losing a lobe of my lung in the process. So based only on my experience, I would suggest you ask for an oncologist consult now. It may be that the insurance company has guidelines re how big it has to be before they will pay for intervention. It’s too small to biopsy now in all likelihood. But I would be asking whether it can be eradicated now - perhaps via radiation ablation - and if not why not.
I have RA and watched mine grow for 4 years thinking it was nothing to worry about - an RA nodule everyone thought. It moved at a snail’s pace of 1mm a year until the last year when it jumped 5mm. I suggest you don’t do that. Now I’m looking over my shoulder to see if it spread without detection - yet.

Good luck!!

I’ve been on targeted therapy twice, TEPMETKO. However had to discontinue treatment due to intolerable side effects. If you browse the drug I mentioned you’ll see how difficult it is to tolerate.
Diagnosed 2021 and ended second course of Tepmetko 4 weeks ago. PET SCAN scheduled for 9/4. Hoping despite side effect profile, it kept my cancer at bay🤞

Thanks for your responses….shall update after scan.

Hi @hatterasj10202 , These drugs can be powerful, and sometimes they are too much for the other systems in our bodies to handle. I'm sorry that you had to discontinue the targeted therapies. Are you on any treatment at this time? Would you like to share the results of your recent PET scan?

Will try to send PET SCAN
results.
No therapy for now, but may restart target drug in 6 weeks accepting side effect profile once again, since target drug is still being productive, by keeping cancer in check with no progression.

The first 5 mm nodule was discovered when I had a chest CT in 2022 as a follow-up to a chest x-ray a month earlier that showed an opacity in an area of the chest.
The follow-up chest CT said I had a 5 mm ground-glass nodule in the right lung.
Since that time I have had 3 mo, 6 mo, and this last time I waited 12 months since things appeared to be improving. However, the 12 mo chest ct I just had Aug. 14 of this month showed two 3 mm nodules and a new 8 mm nodule.
My mom died of kidney cancer at age 53. She only lived 9 months after diagnosis.
I have a big family history of heart attacks, stroke, and cancer.
I've already been diagnosed with Stage 1 heart failure, but doing pretty well. I turn 67 this month.
I promised myself that I would never ignore anything just hoping it got better and these issues are not something I want to play around with.
Thank you so much for your reply. It does help not feeling alone in this.
Take care,
Deb

CT found 1.5 cm nodule and I immediately scheduled a pulmonologist specializing in lung nodules and biopsies. It was NSCLC stage 1A adenocarcinoma malignant. It was removed by robotic Segmentectomy. Best wishes with your journey.

Hi @ready2talk2000, Have you learned any more about the nodules seen on the last CT scan? Has your doctor outlined the next steps?