Challenges of Early Lung Cancer?Diagnosis (part 2 - classification of lung nodules)
This session aims to explain why a lung specialist's assessment of nodules play an important role in early lung cancer diagnosis. Hope it can provide lay people with some key information to read a chest CT scan report and ask the specialist essential questions in a limited amount of time, thus to enable one to make decision on an informed consent basis.
Classification by size:
(1)Diameter ≤ 5mm Pulmonary micronodule
(2) Diameter > 5mm - ≤1cm Small pulmonary nodule
(3) Diameter > 1cm - ≤3cm Pulmonary nodule
Classification by density: Solid nodule, pure ground - glass nodule and mixed nodule
Main principle for an initial judgement of nodule nature, i.e, benign or malignancy
(4) (CT image): Does the nodule have calcification，vocule sign or vascular aggregation? size, growth speed and the characteristics of the nodule edge et al
(4a) Generally speaking a benign nodule has calcification，or has a thin-walled cavity and looks like a triangle. It is flat and smooth。 On contrast a malignant nodule has burrs, vacuoles， vascular aggregation and pleural indentation et al.
Indeed sometimes it is difficult to distinguish benign or malignancy as it can be a mixture (to be continued).
Retired at home
5 年Hi Jo, interesting comments on a complex subject. More and more the public have to trust medical opinion and more and more the medical profession are trusting the results of CAT and PET scans to give the public an accurate assessment of early signs of cancer. One problem is the lack of both diagnostic equipment (expense) and medical/pathological expertise to interpret what is identified via these sophisticated tests.