pulmonary nodule

on my chest CT Scan they found a 5 x 7.5 mm solitary nodule in Rt upper lobe.Mildly  border,several smalll punctate calification present not central, mostly eccentric. They say it may be too small for PET,,,too arresive for biospy.I am 46 and have smoked 1/4 to 1/2 day for 20 years. Should I have a CT done sooner ,have a biospy or wait the 3 months.

[HeinrikMD]

Hi,

If the biopsy is deemed technically difficult, it may no be worth doing based on the size and the description of the nodule.

There is no clear limit in terms of size for the PET. The clarity of the scan is based on the signal of the nodule compared with the background signal. A problem though is that if it is small indeed, it may not be amenable to minimally invasive biopsy. The PET may incorrectly label a benign nodule with a malignant signal in 40% of cases.

Waiting for the next scan may be a bit hard on the nerves, but such recommendations are commonplace. It is pretty rare for lung cancer to suddenly increase in size within this time such that curative options will no longer be available to you. What is important is that a balance is sought, between the risk of complications inherent in procedures as well as the gain in terms of preventing disease progression.

Stay positive.