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

Welcome @kdelbert, were your nodules benign?

Age, location and insurance will probably determine where you can go for your care. No matter, I would get a pulmonologist soon. The next step might be biopsy. Depending on the location of the nodules will determine what type of biopsy. Mine were in a difficult place so I had the biopsies done robotically. I'm fortunate to be on Medicare with good supplemental insurance. If you are in a location where you could go to Mayo Clinic or City of Hope, I would try to get in to either of those. I hope your nodules are benign!

It was surgically removed in a lobectomy and Biopsy was done then.

Hi,

Has your doctor suggested a biopsy?

Hi JS (@jstarkman). Remember that you posted this question on the Lung Cancer group, so you are seeing responses from people with cancerous nodules. Most nodules are not cancerous. The final pathology has come back for my latest nodule and it is fungal, not cancer.
Having a bronchoscopy does come with risks, and the pulmonologist will be able to help answer any specific questions that you may have. The location of the nodule can make it fairly easy or extremely difficult to biopsy via a bronchoscopy. My original nodules were deep in the lung, and were never biopsied via bronchoscopy, but this recent nodule was barely inside the lung so it was easily accessible. A rescan in three months doesn't seem unreasonable to me, but a pulmonology consult never hurts.

I had my nodule biopsied to determine the type of cancer and what stage it was. Also it's genetic composition. Surgery came afterwards.

I had a nodule that also was 8mm and it was cancerous. It is not too small for it to be biopsied. I decided to skip a pulmonologist and go to a thoracic surgeon. I ended up having a lobectomy, Its now 4 years later, no reoccurrence, and I feel great!

@jstarkman, I agree with Lisa, Take a deep breath. 8mm = .8cm is very small. My younger brother had larger nodules monitored every year for 8 years before they finally stopped checking. Nodules are not uncommon, and you don't say

Before you have any physical testing, it would have to grow, which may not happen. I have stage 4 lung cancer, and my doctor saw 3 lymph nodes increase in size by 50% in 3 months. That got me a PET scan and a blood test. Both came back negative. After another three months, they were smaller. I know lymph nodes are not the same as lung nodules, but the point is you're way before a cancer diagnosis at this point. And my attitude is that if I don't have a positive diagnosis for lung cancer, then I DON'T have lung cancer! Life's too short to literally worry ourselves sick.

Let us know what you learn in 3 months.

Please get an appointment with a pulmonologist as he/she will recommend a bronchoscopy or not. I think 8mm may be too small for biopsies, bronchoscopies so like many of us you are in the 3 month CT scan let's wait program. The nodule is currently being monitored, thank heavens and likely those tests will need to be done when it increases.

Thank you for your comments. Do you see any benefit in having a bronchoscopy done at this point?