how can you tell if a 4 cm mass on your lung is malignant

[terry1957]

how can you tell if it is malignant with a mass on hyour lung...

[Sheywh]

Go to a pulmonologist and have CT scans and maybe even a PET scan and then a biopsy on the mass The Biopsy is the only wya to know if it is cancerous It’s very important you see a doctor and do a biopsy ASAP as the mass my mom has is now 5.1 x 6.4 It  grew a cm in only 11 days! So they grow fast!! Take Care  

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi

Thanks for the post.

Any mass in the lung is not cancer. “The differential diagnosis for patients who present with abnormalities on chest x-ray includes lung cancer, as well as nonmalignant diseases. These include infectious causes such as tuberculosis or pneumonia, or inflammatory conditions such as sarcoidosis. These diseases can result in mediastinal lymphadenopathy or lung nodules, and sometimes mimic lung cancers.” The finding has to be corelated with the symptoms and history of exposure smoking, mining, asbestos, tin, aluminium dust etc.
Mass in the lung is detected “on chest x-ray and computed tomography (CT scan). The diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsy. This is usually performed via bronchoscopy (sending a cannula through the wind pipe) or CT-guided biopsy.” “Performing a chest x-ray is the first step if a patient reports symptoms that may be suggestive of lung cancer. This may reveal an obvious mass, widening of the mediastinum (suggestive of spread to lymph nodes there), atelectasis (collapse), consolidation (pneumonia), or pleural effusion. If there are no x-ray findings but the suspicion is high (such as a heavy smoker with blood-stained sputum), bronchoscopy and/or a CT scan may provide the necessary information. Bronchoscopy or CT-guided biopsy is often used to identify the tumor type.” “Lung cancer can also be an incidental finding: a solitary pulmonary nodule (also called a coin lesion) on a chest X-ray or CT scan taken for an unrelated reason.”
Refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lung_cancer

Hope this helps. Your doctor will guide you through these tests and if already performed will be able to tell you what your mass is. If you need more help, please feel free to contact. I’ll be happy to answer your queries. Please keep me posted about the results and other development.

[twinbee]

How was the 4cm mass on the lung discovered? What tests have been run? My sister had a mass on her lung, it was discovered first by x-ray, then she had to have a CT scan, then a PET scan. After all those scans she had to have a biopsy done and the mass removed from her lung.  You should post your questions on the lung forum.