Is the nodule cancer?
First of all, we must answer a common misunderstanding: the nodules on the medical report are not a disease diagnosis, but an imaging observation. A nodule is a small blob inside that simply means the image sees a small blob on you.
What exactly is this little lump? You can’t be sure just by looking at the images. Local inflammation, old inflammation, own tissue proliferation, tumor growth, these all look like a small mass.
Can a nodule become cancer?
Speaking of this, you may panic again. The nodules all represent the growth of something in the body. Is there any danger? Will it turn into cancer? Don’t panic, nodules caused by inflammation are more common than nodules and cancer.
If a nodule is only found in a sudden physical examination, in most cases, the distance between it and cancer is as far as a primary school student considering “Tsinghua University or Peking University”. Some people will definitely say: don’t be afraid of ten thousand, but be afraid of what happens! What are the signs that you should pay attention?
In general, you can see if the medical report has the following descriptions: there are burrs, the nodules have unclear boundaries, and there is a rich blood supply. It is not an exaggeration to call these items “standard malignant tumors”. If you see these words, you must attach great importance to it and seek medical attention in time! Of course, specific to different nodules, also need specific analysis.
The three most common nodules, don’t panic too much
Thyroid nodules, breast nodules, and pulmonary nodules are the three most common nodules in the medical report, and many young people also encounter them. Next, we will analyze the specific situation in detail. What are these three nodules? Do you need to worry?
01 Thyroid nodules
Thyroid nodules are one of the most common thyroid abnormalities. Surveys of unscreened subjects by ultrasonography have found that at least one thyroid nodule is present in 20% to 76% of women, and the detection rate of thyroid nodules is also high in men.
Malignancy risk: The vast majority of thyroid nodules are benign, and overall only 4% to 6.5% are cancerous.
Red flags: People who received a lot of radiation to the neck as a child (such as radiation therapy), or who had a family member who had thyroid cancer, should be extra careful when a nodule is detected. In addition, the following words appear on the report to be vigilant.
● The boundary of the nodule is unclear
● The lymph nodes on the same side of the nodule have abnormal performance
● Hypoechoic
● Gravel-like (fine sand)-like calcification
● The anteroposterior diameter is larger than the left and right diameter (aspect ratio imbalance)
What to do? specific diagnosis. Actively review, maintain monitoring of nodules.
02 Breast nodules
Breast nodules are mostly benign breast lumps. It is a general term for a large class of benign breast lesions, including fibroadenomas, simple cysts, and mastitis.
Malignancy risk: Breast nodules are mostly benign tumors, and 4% to 10% are malignant.
Red flags: A BI-RADS classification is generally written on the medical report, and we can simply understand it as a malignancy score. If it is greater than 4, it means that the nodule is too unfriendly and needs to be further examined. In addition, the following words appear on the report to be vigilant.
● Nodules with unclear boundary and irregular shape
● Spur-like edges
● Posterior attenuation
● Clustered calcifications ● What to do if
the aspect ratio is greater than 1 If malignant signs are found, seek medical attention in time.
If it is judged by the doctor that the malignancy is not likely, and the nodule does not grow rapidly in a short period of time, it only needs to be reviewed regularly, and there is no need to blindly remove it.
03 Lung nodules
Pulmonary nodules are a special case, and have been found in large numbers in physical examinations in recent years. This is not a health hazard, but because of the improvement of inspection accuracy, the nodules that can be found are getting smaller and smaller. A study in the Physical Examination Center of Dalian Central Hospital found that among 8277 people, the detection rate of pulmonary nodules was 15.9% in males and 20.9% in females. That is to say, there will be a lung nodule in almost every five people.
Malignant risk: If you are a smoker between the ages of 50 and 74 with at least 20 packs of rations per year (for example, if you have quit smoking now but have quit smoking for less than 5 years), you should pay great attention. There is no need to worry too much about pulmonary nodules detected by general physical examination. But if you find the following red flags, be sure to pay attention!
Red flags: Be alert when the following words appear on the report. (Only some factors that need to be vigilant are listed here. For details, please refer to the Fleischner Society guidelines at the end of the article to go to the hospital for review).
● The nodule has unclear boundary, lobes and burrs
● The size of the nodule is ≥8mm
● The shape of the nodule is ground glass, especially the ground glass nodule with solid components
● The density is uneven and the solid component is high
What do if You’re not one of the smoking groups mentioned above, and you don’t see red flags, so don’t be too nervous.
I don’t know if you have discovered that whether it is thyroid, breast or lung nodules, such danger signals as “spurs, unclear boundaries, and rich blood supply” are high-frequency keywords. That’s right! Malignant tumors like aggressive expansion, which is what it looks like in B-ultrasound and CT.
As for most nodules with no signs of malignancy, we can treat it as a mole growing in the body, let it stay there in a Buddhist way, and regularly check whether it has changed. After all, this is the best compromise and the most effective solution between getting a knife for nothing and preventing cancer!
