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8 mm lung nodule possible malignancy: What should I do?
Lung Cancer | Last Active: Mar 7 7:51am | Replies (40)Comment receiving replies
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!!
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Hi JS (@jstarkman), I'm assuming that your CT was completed for a lung screening exam? I'm glad to see that the screening program is working; nodules are being identified early, and it is saving lives! It also puts patients like you into a state of worry. Most nodules are non-cancerous. You need to be comfortable with the plan presented to you by your doctor. Some people are comfortable with a 3 month wait. Your nodule hasn't grown much, but no one can really tell you at this point what it will do in the next three months. A second opinion from an expert can be very helpful, and a pulmonologist would be able to provide additional input on what they believe the next steps should be.
From my experience, oncologists want to see patients that have a pathology confirmed case of cancer. I would certainly recommend seeing an oncologist prior to having surgery for cancer. We all have different experiences to contribute, there is no one right answer. The right answer for you is what puts your mind at ease.
I have a type of lung cancer that will come back and spread someday. I just had a second biopsy completed on a 9mm nodule and two enlarged lymph nodes which were first identified in November. It's not cancer. So, even stage IV lung cancer patients can have non-cancerous nodules. My oncology team is surprised too!
Take a deep breath and determine what works best for you.