Is a Spiculated lung nodule always malignant?

@astaingegerdm How are you doing @astaingegerdm? Having clean scans?

@junerose42 I too had adenocarcinoma stage 1A1. Surgery only and I have my first scan next week. I am so scared they are going to find more nodules. This has wrecked me mentally. How are you doing?

I know how worried you are feeling and it’s tough to go through, sometimes I called it like Russian roulette, I think it’s the same thing for everyone who has had cancer, we know it’s how the process works. I try to comfort myself and sometimes others with the thoughts that they are keeping us safe and hopefully cancer free, also the times between ct scans are not scheduled too far apart and this may reduce damage. We basically are living our lives with a few changes, humans are very adaptable, we do what needs to be done to keep moving forward, best wishes for good results, amen. 🙏

@lhatfield96
Yes- scans have been clear. The first 2 years I had scans every 4 months and now it goes to 6 month intervals. It’s always anxiety provoking. I feel lucky that it was discovered when it was small enough.
I have another module or two, but small. Let’s hope they are the more common innocent ones.
I hope you’ll continue to do well!

@astaingegerdm Thank you for your post Inge. That’s great news and reassuring to me. I too am going to go every four months I’m hoping it gets a little easier as I go and I can calm down a little.

My husband had a routine Cat Scan that showed a new 9mm Nodule, he also has another one that showed 7.25mm (which he has had for many years) Doctor decided he should have Pet Scan which showed the new one as 8mm and the old one as 5mm. Pet Scan said Suspicion of Malignancy on the new one. We are very confused with these findings. He will see his doctor in 5 days, Any input would be appreciated.

I’m curious about whether you’re concerned about the difference in the sizes from the ct scan to the pet/ct scan, if so I was told that the size can vary from one machine to another. Usually when you see the doctor you will be told what the next step will be, the larger nodule is too small for a biopsy so they will probably want to wait for another ct scan to determine any changes, my first nodule was 9 mm. and they decided to wait for change because it too was small, it actually took 3 more years before they diagnosed me with NSCLC, afterwards they did a lobectomy and removed the lung lobe. I can’t express enough how nerve wracking it was to have ct scans every 6 months but it is a normal procedure to watch and wait, on a brighter side the nodules he has are tiny and this is the best part of this situation because nothing beats early detection and thanks to better screening technology they have greatly reduced the risks of lung cancer and longer survival.

Thanks for your reply. Yes we are concerned about the difference between the 2scans and if they actually did shrink He will see dr in 3days and we will know more

My pulmonologist had been following my spiculated ground glass nodule since it was discovered in 2017. I had periodic scans, two of which showed some growth in the nodule. In May 2025, it grew to 15 mm from an original 9 mm, so my pulmonologist recommended a biopsy. I had the biopsy in August 2025, and the report came back as inconclusive. The radiologist failed to get enough tissue for a diagnosis. The nodule is in my right mid lobe which is hard to find, I guess. Pulmonologist suggested that instead of putting me through another biopsy, which also might have failed, that we move to treatment. He gave me alternative of surgery or radiation via CyberKnife. I chose the CyberKnife. I had 3 treatments in September 2025, on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Then, the radiation oncologist told me I should wait 3 months before having another scan to see the results. I had a CAT scan in early January 2026, and the results are encouraging - there is now some scar tissue where the nodule used to be, and no cancer cells. I'm glad I chose CyberKnife instead of surgery. Anyone else have experience with CyberKnife for a lung nodule?

I had radiation instead of surgery for a stage 1 adenocarcinoma. I get regular CT scans to monitor and do far just scarring and nothing new.