We all know the concepts of cancer or benign tumor. However, in recent years, people who carefully examine the radiology reports begin to break out in a cold sweat when they see the words written in black font in the form of a 3 mm, 5 mm nodule in the lung.
Oh no, I have cancer...
First of all, what is a nodule? So let's look at it. Nodule literally means abnormal tissue growth. When you think of abnormal growth, do not immediately think of cancer. In fact, moles on our skin are abnormal tissue growth. Likewise, nodules are common in people with thyroid disorders. Or abnormal tissue growths in the breast are also called nodules. One of the most important features of the nodule is that it is denser and harder than the surrounding tissue. If it is under the skin, we feel the hard tissue with our hand. Sometimes it can be painful.
Let's talk about nodules in the lung;
Nodule means abnormal tissue growth smaller than 3 cm. If a hard nodule in the lung is larger than 1 cm, we, as physicians, start to get worried.
First of all, what do we mean by hard consistency?
The consistency of the nodule is determined by tomography. We give. Tomography allows us to slice the human body in the thickness and direction we want with radiation beams. From 1 mm to 10 mm. Thus, we can analyze the nodule in three dimensions and reveal its size, volume and shape. Some nodules resemble pneumonia. Some may resemble a sea urchin, a small rubber ball or a Jerusalem artichoke. All of these shapes give us an idea about whether the nodule is cancer or not.
For whom do nodules pose a risk?
If you smoke and are over the age of 55, you have a hard consistency in your lungs. If a nodule with irregular edges and larger than 15 mm is seen, the chance of it being cancer is 50%. This possibility increases as the amount of smoking and age increases.
However, the probability of such a nodule becoming cancerous in non-smokers and under the age of 40 is less than 10%...
In other words, smoking and age. The two most important criteria we take into consideration when making a decision. Other important criteria are family history of lung cancer, presence of emphysema, gender, degree of hardness of the nodule and size of the nodule. There are even internet and mobile phone programs that calculate the cancer risk of nodules. r.
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Let's go back to what we wrote at the beginning of the article. What should we do if a 6 mm nodule is detected in a 45-year-old smoker in a chest tomography?
Nothing!!!
Because such a nodule has only one possibility of being cancer. 0.4%. That is, 4 out of a thousand. The best thing to do is to follow it 1-2 times at regular intervals and quit smoking!
The lungs are the delicate organs through which all the blood in the body passes. When cancer develops, this extensive network of vessels causes the disease to spread rapidly. It is important to control the disease while it is young!
Do not be worried about very small nodules in the lung, but do not lose your guard. Don't risk your life, which is the greatest gift.
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