Is a solitary pulmonary nodule cancer?

Symptoms of Solitary Pulmonary Nodules An early lung cancer can often appear as an SPN on chest X-ray. Therefore, the goal of investigating an SPN is to differentiate a benign growth from a malignant growth as soon and as accurately as possible. SPNs should be considered potentially cancerous until proven otherwise.

Can 5 mm pulmonary nodule be metastatic breast cancer?

Further size classification of the nodules assessed within this study revealed that in 14 cases the lesions identified were <5 mm in size. In 12 cases, the lesions were between 5 and 9 mm in maximum diameter. The eight cases with nodules that were between 1 and 1.5 cm all eventually progressed to metastatic disease.

What is the prognosis for breast cancer that has spread to the lungs?

Breast cancer lung metastatic patients have a median survival rate of only 22 months after treatment, indicating poor prognoses (Smid et al., 2008). It has been reported that 60–70% of breast cancer patients who eventually died were diagnosed with lung metastasis (Jin et al., 2018).

Are there pulmonary nodules in early breast cancer patients?

Thus, Lee et al from the United Kingdom performed a retrospective review examining clinical outcomes in patients with early breast cancer found to have radiologically detected pulmonary nodules, with no other evidence for metastatic disease.

Can a pulmonary nodule be a metastatic tumor?

If the patient presents with a solitary pulmonary nodule, primary lung tumor is the most common diagnosis. 1, 2, 3, 4 In contrast, multiple nodules are considered metastatic lesions rather than a primary lung tumor. 3, 4 However, breast cancer patients with pulmonary nodules presenting with an inflammatory reaction and infection are uncommon.

Which is the best treatment for pulmonary nodules?

Differentiating between a benign lesion and primary tumor or metastasis in patients with pulmonary nodules is crucial for clinicians and is difficult in some patients such as cancer patients. Surgical resection is the only recommended treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

Can a lung nodule be a pulmonary cryptococcosis?

Pulmonary cryptococcosis is a rare infection and may be lethal in an immunocompromised patient. It is important for clinicians to differentiate between pulmonary cryptococcosis and malignant pulmonary nodules in breast cancer patients. We describe a rare case of asymptomatic pulmonary cryptococcosis in an early-stage breast cancer patient.