What Is A Lung Nodule And Why Does It Occur?
Cancer may be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear that someone has a lung lump. What is a lung node and why does it occur? It is often a benign condition, although there may be a link between the nodule and cancer.
What is a lung node?
A lung nodule is a mass measuring between five and thirty millimeters. It is an increasingly common condition, and estimates indicate that it affects about 0.2% of the population. The good news is that almost 60% of these nodules are benign.
The causes of this disease range from infections to tumors. Most lung nodules are accidentally discovered when a CT scan (CT scan) or X-ray is taken.
It is important that this disease is diagnosed early to avoid complications and rule out something more serious. In today’s article, we will explain everything you need to know about lung nodules and their symptoms.
Causes of lung nodules
Regarding infectious causes, keep in mind that lung nodules are common in people with tuberculosis.
In such cases, the nodules will have an irregular appearance, with poorly defined edges; this is visible on the x-ray. Also, carcinogenic nodules are usually smaller than benign ones. The risk factors that lead to the appearance of malignant tumors are:
- Smoking
- Age over 35 years
- Rapid growth of the lung nodule in recent months
Similarly, lung nodules can occur due to trauma in some people. This most likely occurs as a result of a metabolic disease called amyloidosis or after a bronchial cyst.
How do doctors diagnose a lung nodule?
It is also important for the doctor to know if the patient is smoking or not. Many studies have shown that a large part of the lung nodules are carcinogenic and related to smoking.
After finding out this information, the doctor must perform certain imaging tests to locate the nodule. In addition, the images will allow him to observe certain features, such as the shape and size of the nodule. These values are important for differentiating a benign node from a possible malignant one.
The most common way to diagnose a lung nodule is by chest x-ray and computed tomography. To find out the exact cause of a lung nodule, doctors sometimes do biopsies because they allow them to analyze the tissue.
