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

My experience was finding a similar size nodule in 2020. It was in left lung close to my heart. Opted a wait & watch approach. In 2021 & 2022 stayed about same size. In 2023 it almost doubled to 13 mm. It is considered as a very very slow growing carcinoid. Had biopsy in Oct 23. Confirmed as a typical neuroendocrine carcinoid. There are typical & atypical neurendocrine carcinoids ( called lung NETS),
I am 77 yrs old. Had robotic surgery 10 days ago. Did so well I was sent home the following day. No chemo, no radiation. I’m very glad I had surgery. Four lymph nodes were negative. There was a cluster of tiny carcinoids, largest 4mm, in same area. They were not noticeable in CTScans but suspicious areas with a PET. I’m very glad I didn’t continue to wait. On YouTube there are several recent presentations on neuroendoctine tumors, known as NETS. I think the only way to know for sure is by biopsy. Please keep us posted.

@jessicamc hi jess 😊 my name is Jessica also I just read your comment I've been diagnosed with benign typical carcinoid in July this year in my bronchi tube of right lung I've Been hospitalised with pneumonia when they found it I've had 2 biopys one in hospital where I was with pneumonia other biopys was from a differant hospital I was sent to for a second opinion both came back benign typical carcinoid in between all this I've had pet/ct scan which was clear also on 5th September this year I had a procedure down where my lung specialist went down my throat to remove it but could not get it all out over it been stuck to the wall of my tube but managed to remove 40% of it which also came back benign carcinoid now I'm waiting on surgery to be done again in Dec 🥹 one lymph node was also checked and came back clear how was surgery for you how was recovery was it keyhole or open surgery ur feedback would be greatly appreciated thank you so much ❤️

@jessicamc hi jess 😊 my name is Jessica also I just read your comment I've been diagnosed with benign typical carcinoid in July this year in my bronchi tube of right lung I've Been hospitalised with pneumonia when they found it I've had 2 biopys one in hospital where I was with pneumonia other biopys was from a differant hospital I was sent to for a second opinion both came back benign typical carcinoid in between all this I've had pet/ct scan which was clear also on 5th September this year I had a procedure down where my lung specialist went down my throat to remove it but could not get it all out over it been stuck to the wall of my tube but managed to remove 40% of it which also came back benign carcinoid now I'm waiting on surgery to be done again in Dec 🥹 one lymph node was also checked and came back clear how was surgery for you how was recovery was it keyhole or open surgery ur feedback would be greatly appreciated thank you so much ❤️

@jessie1990 I had robotic laparoscopic surgery Jan 2024 and was sent home within 24 hours. There were three small incisions which healed quickly. I did need pain killers for a few days, tapered off to Tylenol after 4-5 days. There results were same as the biopsy, was told that the carcinoids were very small. Lymph nodes tested were all clear.
I return every six months for a scan. No other treatment has been needed.
There is a suspicious spot that is too small to biopsy in the same lung that was noticed April 2025. I return Nov 18 to see if it has changed size.
I’ve had no other bronchial infections since 2023. I did have what I thought was a head cold or allergies in June. Someone suggested I take a Covid test. It was positive. That panicked me, but the symptoms were gone in four days. I do get the Covid booster. The drs recommend the pneumonia & RSV vax also because my lungs are vulnerable.
I am about to have my 79th birthday, leaving soon for a Caribbean cruise. It will soon be two years since the carcinoids were discovered. I will try to save your original email and let you know about the Nov 18 scan.

@jessicamc the carcinoid is sitting between 2 lobes of my lung so they said if keyhole don't work ill need open surgery a cruise omg I love it 🥰I turned 35 in Aug I've had 2 biopys they came back benign carcinoid I've had 40% of it removed on 5th of Sept is also came back benign carcinoid ive also had one lymph node checked and that aslo came back clear but my surgeon rang me and I've asked him is it a benign tumor he said yes it's a called typical carcinoid lung nurse also rang me yesterday I've also asked her she said yes it's typical carcinoid that there is strong evidence its typical by my biopys and scans she said cause I've read a few stories that people were told it was typical but when they got surgery it was actually atypical and it's kind of driving my anxiety so high yes please let me no how it goes ❤️

@jessie1990 I think typical carcinoid is more common
. My biopsy was classified as typical and the tissue samples after surgery were also typical. I was told those are the slowest growing type of carcinoid. My dr said the only reason he recommended removing that small lung section was because it was in the narrow area going around the heart and was preventing infection from clearing. He said as I aged, lol, I would be more vulnerable to pneumonia. Something very interesting was my mom was diagnosed with a typical carcinoid in her pancreas at age 88. The drs said that it had probably taken 40 years to become noticeable. Considering her age, they recommended a wait & watch approach. She returned once a year for 3 yrs to have a scan. It actually disappeared! The human body is an amazing thing.
You are much younger than me, but you seem to be in the right place. In the United States there are only about 3000 drs who have specialized in neuroendocrine carcinoids. Something in one of your posts made me think you might not live in the US?
There are some excellent videos on YouTube of speakers affiliated with the neuroendocrine foundation you might find interesting. There is also a neuroendocrine carcinoid group on Facebook. I read a few stories, but I’m not a frequent user of FB. Too often unscientific recommendations are made by uneducated people and quacks with a cure sales pitch mixed into posts.
Last thing, my Dr said if the tiny spot in my lung turns out to be another carcinoid, he would not recommend another surgery, not good to keep reducing lung capacity. He would recommend immunotherapy. I don’t like the thought of that but I have a friend who is taking immunotherapy for a rare type of lymphoma cancer and she is doing great, looks wonderful.
I remember when I first was diagnosed I searched these discussion boards for people who have our type of carcinoids. Seems very rare. After watching some of the YouTube carcinoid foundation videos I learned that some people are not being diagnosed correctly because there are pathologists, pulmonary drs who have minimal experience with neuroendocrine typical or atypical carcinoids.
You must be in the right place because your tissue biopsy has been thoroughly analyzed.
I’m fortunate to live about 90 minutes from a Mayo Clinic where care and research go hand in hand.
Start planning a cruise.

@jessicamc yes my lung doctor also told me over where it's sitting it will cause alot of infections as I age so he said its best to remove it but nurse said there's strong evidence from my biopys and scans its typical carcinoid I'm waiting on surgery in December..no I'm not from us I'm from Ireland 😊nurse also said I dont need chemo or other treatments once it's removed just need regular scans