Aims and objectives
Growth is one of the most important characteristics of lung cancer[1-3].
Research data show that when low-dosecomputed tomography(CT) scan is used for baseline screening of lung cancer,
the detection rate of pulmonary nodules is 5%-51% in the general population with 20% on average per round[4].
Most (> 90%) nodules are benign[4-6].
Many suspected nodules are stable during 1-2 years of follow-up visits,
and thus excluded from the positive ones[5,7].
If the nodules during follow-up visits are enlarged gradually,
they will be highly suspected of lung...
Methods and materials
This study was approved by the institutional review boards (First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College) with a waiver of informed consent.
Benign pulmonary nodules were found in 5 cases,
including 2 males and 3 females with an age range of 43-63 years old and a lesion size of 3.6-30.57 mm at the initial examination.
CT examinations were performed at slice thickness of 1-8 mm for 3 times at least and 5 times at most.
Except that 1 case of sclerosing hemangioma only had the...
Results
The doubling time and imaging features of the benign nodules in 5 cases were shown in Table 1 and Figures 1-12.
Conclusion
Benign nodules can grow slowly[9,11].
Except one case had sclerosing hemangioma grown slowly (with a doubling time of 1697 days),
3 cases had solid nodules,
1 case had pure ground-glass opacity nodule with a doubling time same as that of lung cancer.
Literatures[12] have recorded that the doubling time of lung cancer is generally <400 days [mean: 149 days[13] and range: 20-400 days[14].
Only upon the doubling time,
the growing nodules in 4 cases are likely to be misdiagnosed as lung cancers.
Besides the doubling...
Personal information
Anle Yu,
M.D.
Department of Radiology,
First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College,
31 Longhua Road,Haikou,
Hainan,
[email protected] Qun Li,M.D.
Ph.D.
Department of Pathology,
Hainan Medical College,
33 Longhua Road,Haikou,
Hainan,
China
References
1. Xu DM,
van der Zaag-Loonen HJ,
Oudkerk M,
Wang Y,
Vliegenthart R,
Scholten ET,
et al(2009) Smooth or attached solid indeterminate nodules detected at baseline CT screening in the NELSON study: cancer risk during 1 year of follow-up.
Radiology 250(1):264-272.
2. MacMahon H,
Austin JH,
Gamsu G,
Herold CJ,
Jett JR,
Naidich DP,
et al(2005)Guidelines for management of small pulmonary nodules detected on CT scans: a statement from the Fleischner Society.
Radiology 237(2):395-400.
3. Revel MP,
Merlin A,
Peyrard S,
Triki R,
Couchon S,...