size of lung nodule

Mostly, they are looking for a change. I was diagnosed last month with a 6 (well, actually, 5.8)mm nodule. Will be doing a follow-up ct in February.

Evidently, there is a protocol for following up on nodules larger than 3mm, involves following it for a couple of years.

We are going to be fine!

ugh. so sorry, but I am very glad your doctors are thouroughly looking at everything.

I'm in this boat too with a 6 mm nodule they found on CT before I started chemo. My chest xray was clean before my bmx on 8/6/15. MO said it's too small for PET scan to pick up metabolic activity so plan is after I'm done with chemo (last infusion is on 3/1) to do another CT to see if it's still there or not. If it's still there, highly unlikely that it's a met. If it's gone then still not for sure it's a lung met because nothing confirms it other than a PET scan. I don't know how often I'll be monitored. I haven't asked yet but my bs seems to think every 4 months which sounds excessive to me. I don't know. Too many scan is not good for you either because of the high amount of rays. I already am getting rads too after chemo... sigh

The key is from my understanding is when they do the PET scan if it shows metabolic activity. If it does = cancer. If not then it's something else.

How often do those of you with lung nodules get scanned to see if there are any changes?

With lung nodules it's not just about size, the appearance is of big significance too. In most cases, small lung nodules - by small they mean the ones that are under 5 mm - are monitored for a period of two years and no action is taken if they see no changes and no new nodules. Most often the radiologists recommend CT scans every three moths or "per clinical protocol."

Those small lung nodules might have different appearances that are reflective of different etymology, so there is no one-size-fit-all answer. You need to trust what the specialists tell you and discuss your questions if any. I for one was not very happy about the three month follow up CT recommendation and negotiated a less frequent protocol with my MO who didn't have many concerns about the nodules as she thought they were unlikely to be bc metastasis anyway.

Two years passed and I had no change in the nodules but they didn't let me off the hook: turns out my nodules look like tiny 'ground glass' opacities - I have multiple in both lungs - and such 'ground glass' looking nodules are often a precursor of lung cancer, so they will continue to monitor and will intervene if they start growing.

I had a 6mm lung nodule that was found when I had my scans after dx three years ago. It was followed for 2.5 years with no change so now it is considered benign. I can honestly say they I almost drove myself to the brink of insanity worrying about it. What I did find out about having alung nodule is that they are very common.

Good luck to everyone that is in the watch and wait club for this!!

Good news!! My pet scan is clear. Recheck on nodule in a couple of months. Thanks for all the support

Thank you shoppygirl!! Now I can sleep for the first time in four weeks😴. Prayers to everyone who are in this wait and see group

Hi Cjs47, I have many such nodules that are 3-4mm in size. They have remained stable for the past 2.5 years. At my last appointment with my MO in October of last year, I was told they they would continue monitoring the lungs but not as frequently as before because of the ground glass appearance of these nodules. Neither my oncologist or my PCP whom I trust seem to be concerned about them. When I saw my PCP last week, he downplayed these concerns even further.

I'm so mad I could scream!!! Just came from onc and told him I was upset that I was told my pet scan didn't light up when in fact not only was there another nodule that I wasn't aware of but it also showed uptake and an intermediate concern for malignancy. He then got nasty with me and said if I hadn't insisted on a scan to make sure I was clear after all my treatment was finished I wouldn't be worrying right now and this is why he doesn't do routine scans. He made me feel like it's my fault that these nodules are there and I'm causing him more work because he's "sure" it's not cancer but now he has to order another rescan to be sure. He said he doesn't want to hear I'm worried cause I asked for this!!! Other people who have had breast cancer get routine scans all the time, and I just want to be proactive and catch anything that reappears so that we can treat it at its early stage. Sorry for the long rant and thanks for listening

Thanks muska. I just know that it is better to catch something before it spreads to the lymph nodes or grows bigger. When you have cancer, even if you're doing fine at the moment, it's hard not to be concerned when you get one reading from the radiologist and then the onc reads it a different way. It's hard to know who to believe especially when the doctor says things like "you look too healthy to have anything wrong!" I don't look any different now then I did before and during treatment "except with hair". I'm just losing faith in my onc. I was also told he doesn't do any routine blood work for breast cancer patients when they are done with treatment. I guess it's hard to live without fear that the other shoe could drop at anytime, and I feel that I have no support from my doctor

Cjs,

Every onc is different. My MO is a scanner; yours is not. I don't see your diagnosis, but your MO might be less inclined to scan if your lump was small and there was no nodal involvement. I'm sure that I might get more scans than others because I was diagnosed at Stage IIIa, and my cancer was dividing rapidly (Grade 3 and HER2+). In any case, you may need to shop for a new onc if you no longer have confidence in him.