A mass on a lung does not necessarily indicate cancer but obviously it needs to be checked out immediately. It could be scarring or a case of pneumonia but lung cancer is another option. The doctor will usually look for other physical signs of cancer, like unusual lung sounds, enlarged lymph nodes or chubby fingernails.
Once those symptoms have been evaluated the abnormality on the chest needs to be examined closer and if it is cancerous the next step will be to see if it is benign, non-cancerous, or malignant and if it is cancerous it is important to see if it has metastaized, spread. A CT (computerised tomography) is used to determine a three-dimensional view of the lung and if that comes back positive then a sample of tissue will be required and that can be taken in a variety of ways.
You will have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan and this procedure involves magnetism rather than radiation but cannot be used on patients with metal implants, such as a pacemaker and instead a PET scan will be used. This will use radioactive material to form a 3D image and will be able to detect tumours as they are growing and if they are spreading.
Other non-diagnostic tests are frequently performed during the diagnosis of lung cancer, which includes a pulmonary function test to see how the lung capacity is and can also determine if any tumour is interfering with breathing, and sometimes, whether it is safe to perform surgery.
If caught early enough the tumours can be removed swiftly and safely usually under anesthetic and with a quick recovery time.
While lung cancer can be devastating, advances in medicine and the way it is treated means the survival rate is much higher than even a few years ago.
Once those symptoms have been evaluated the abnormality on the chest needs to be examined closer and if it is cancerous the next step will be to see if it is benign, non-cancerous, or malignant and if it is cancerous it is important to see if it has metastaized, spread. A CT (computerised tomography) is used to determine a three-dimensional view of the lung and if that comes back positive then a sample of tissue will be required and that can be taken in a variety of ways.
You will have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan and this procedure involves magnetism rather than radiation but cannot be used on patients with metal implants, such as a pacemaker and instead a PET scan will be used. This will use radioactive material to form a 3D image and will be able to detect tumours as they are growing and if they are spreading.
Other non-diagnostic tests are frequently performed during the diagnosis of lung cancer, which includes a pulmonary function test to see how the lung capacity is and can also determine if any tumour is interfering with breathing, and sometimes, whether it is safe to perform surgery.
If caught early enough the tumours can be removed swiftly and safely usually under anesthetic and with a quick recovery time.
While lung cancer can be devastating, advances in medicine and the way it is treated means the survival rate is much higher than even a few years ago.
