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Lung nodules: Can they ever be non-cancerous?

Posted by missholly @missholly, Jul 21, 2024

I had RSV pneumonia in Nov. Recovered well. On Tuesday I went to ER for an ear infection. They did a chest x-ray then decided to do a CT scan. The results have me terrified. I have no SOB, no symptoms what-so-ever. The CT scan says suggestive of multifocal pneumonia, cannot rule out malignancy. What scares me is the irregulary-shaped nodules. Can they ever be non-cancerous? I have an appt with a pulminary dr. on March 6th, but in the meantime, I am driving myself crazy.

There are multiple bilateral irregularly-shaped lung nodules. Several lung nodules demonstrate central cavitary changes. Example nodule within the medial superior segment of the right lower lobe measures 3.1 x 2.6 cm with central cavitation. Additional 4 x 2.6 cm irregularly-shaped nodule is present within the anterior left upper lobe. This lesion is without cavitary changes. No pleural effusions. No pneumothorax. Heart size is normal. No pericardial effusion. There are shotty mediastinal and bilateral hilar lymph nodes, likely reactive. Liver density is decreased. There are bilateral simple appearing renal cysts.

Any input - good or bad - would be appreciated.

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flettorina | @flettorina | Feb 25 12:25pm
In reply to @lls8000 "@bijou2010, Hopefully your doctor can compare this scan with your previous scans to see if there..." + (show)
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@bijou2010, Hopefully your doctor can compare this scan with your previous scans to see if there is a marked difference. The scans are interpreted by human radiologists, and sometimes they have differences of opinion. Which can be alarming, even when there isn't anything to be concerned about. When they are looking at something that is this small, it can be difficult.
Have you seen your doctor to discuss the results yet?

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@lls8000
My lung nodules are being treated with monthly jabs of Lanreotide.
I also have CKD stage 3, so will only have jabs if kidneys can cope

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louiset65 | @louiset65 | Mar 5 3:53pm
In reply to @louiset65 "@louiset65 My husband had bronchoscopy last week and halfway thru it they had to abort procedure..." + (show)
Profile picture for louiset65 @louiset65

@louiset65 My husband had bronchoscopy last week and halfway thru it they had to abort procedure because someone realized they told him he didnt have to stop his blood thinner medication. So biopsy was never done. He was told his medication was not on the Hospitals list for meds to stop. Then the surgeon said he had difficulty finding the nodule and decided he should have a cat scan at the end of month to see if it shrunk. He hasnt had cat scan yet so we are still up in the air..We are not happy with all of this.

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@louiset65 Husband had another Cat Scan and Nodule size is still the same (9mm) Previous Pet Scan said (8mm). Now he sees the pulmonary doctor next week to see what he has to do next. Is it possible a 9mm Nodule could shrink or not be cancer? Thanks

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Lisa, Volunteer Mentor | @lls8000 | Mar 16 5:48pm
In reply to @louiset65 "@louiset65 Husband had another Cat Scan and Nodule size is still the same (9mm) Previous Pet..." + (show)
Profile picture for louiset65 @louiset65

@louiset65 Husband had another Cat Scan and Nodule size is still the same (9mm) Previous Pet Scan said (8mm). Now he sees the pulmonary doctor next week to see what he has to do next. Is it possible a 9mm Nodule could shrink or not be cancer? Thanks

Jump to this post

@louiset65, It may not be cancer, as our lungs are quite sensitive, and can react to many irritants. Different modalities (CT vs PET) may give the radiologist a slightly different view on the size. These scans are evaluated by humans, and a 1 mm difference may be a difference in interpretation too. This is hard when we want exact sizing for comparison.
Did the doctor recommend another follow up scan, or something else?

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slarson14 | @slarson14 | Mar 16 6:04pm

My husband and I both have at least a half dozen lung nodules, in each lung - both of us. That is about 24 total we have watched....

We are both 70.
Neither of us smoke.

We both go every year for a scan and for the last 10 years: "None have changed size".

We were also informed lung nodules are there for several reasons and don't mean cancer unless they grow.

We were also told the nodules "could be from past pneumonia infections, or other infections such or coccidioidomycosis aka Valley Fever" because I grew up and Tucson and he was in California, in the Marine Corps in all sorts of dust and sand blowing around middle eastern countries - as well as 29 Palms, Camp Pendleton through out his long career.

We have been told "coccidioidomycosis mimics cancer and are often the cause of unnecessary lung biopsies".

So we just watch and wait. Not sweating what will or will not be.

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louiset65 | @louiset65 | Mar 16 8:38pm
In reply to @lls8000 "@louiset65, It may not be cancer, as our lungs are quite sensitive, and can react to..." + (show)
Profile picture for Lisa, Volunteer Mentor @lls8000

@louiset65, It may not be cancer, as our lungs are quite sensitive, and can react to many irritants. Different modalities (CT vs PET) may give the radiologist a slightly different view on the size. These scans are evaluated by humans, and a 1 mm difference may be a difference in interpretation too. This is hard when we want exact sizing for comparison.
Did the doctor recommend another follow up scan, or something else?

Jump to this post

@lls8000 He will have a Navigational Bronchoscopy on March 31st. They attempted a biopsy a month ago but the Hospital messed up and told him he could take his blood thinners and they realized they made the mistake half way through the procedure..They had to abort the whole thing. This has been going on for 3 months . Hoping we get some answers soon. Thank You for your input!

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Lisa, Volunteer Mentor | @lls8000 | Mar 17 4:17pm
In reply to @louiset65 "@lls8000 He will have a Navigational Bronchoscopy on March 31st. They attempted a biopsy a month..." + (show)
Profile picture for louiset65 @louiset65

@lls8000 He will have a Navigational Bronchoscopy on March 31st. They attempted a biopsy a month ago but the Hospital messed up and told him he could take his blood thinners and they realized they made the mistake half way through the procedure..They had to abort the whole thing. This has been going on for 3 months . Hoping we get some answers soon. Thank You for your input!

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@louiset65, Oh no. Hopefully the re-attempt on the 31st is successful, and that he tolerates the procedure well. Hugs.

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louiset65 | @louiset65 | Mar 18 8:26am
In reply to @lls8000 "@louiset65, Oh no. Hopefully the re-attempt on the 31st is successful, and that he tolerates the..." + (show)
Profile picture for Lisa, Volunteer Mentor @lls8000

@louiset65, Oh no. Hopefully the re-attempt on the 31st is successful, and that he tolerates the procedure well. Hugs.

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@lls8000 Thank You So Much!

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mwendt54 | @mwendt54 | Mar 19 3:08pm

No. Lung nodules in and by themselves aren’t automatically cancerous. They need to be monitored usually once a year to check for growth.

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