Solitary Pulmonary Nodule

Over 150,000 solitary pulmonary nodules are found each year on chest imaging. The major concern of the patient is whether or not the nodule is cancerous. This can typically be difficult to distinguish from a benign cause on imaging studies alone. Characteristics of the mass seen on imaging studies can help to determine the likelihood that a mass is benign or malignant. These include size, border, density, growth over time, and calcifications. Patient characteristics such as age, smoking history, and history of cancer are also important and need to be taken into account. Through combination of both patient and mass characteristics, it is possible to determine if a mass is likely benign or malignant.