Lung Nodule concern question

aparker12
Posts:1

Hello everyone my mother has had a persistent cough for about a year. No other symptoms besides a little chest pain. X rays came back good. She had a CT Scan because she is annoyed with this cough and the results came back as followed below: 2 small nodules. One is 3mm and the other is 6mm. How concerning is this? Please any response will help! Thank you

IMPRESSION: 
1. No acute process.
2. Granulomatous changes in the mediastinum and bilateral hila as well as a
partially calcified nodule in the medial aspect of left lower lobe.
4. Enhancing lesion in the right hepatic lobe favored to represent a
hemangioma.

JanineT GRACE …
Posts: 634
GRACE Community Outreach Team

Hi aparker12,

Welcome to Grace.  I'm sorry you're having this scare.  We can't legally or ethically interpret scan reports.  Good things to know about scans are: Pathologists give their interpretations of the scans (these doctors are trained for this very thing) but the only other info they have about the person is if they have another past CT scan with which to compare the scan.  The physician who ordered the scan will use the report and scans to interpret what it alls means to you along with other info about you.  Nodules less than 1 cm (10 mm) are not normally considered an issue and can't be biopsied because they are too small.  There are certain characteristics of nodules that suggest they are malignant or benign (the path reported benign characters).  With such enhanced scanning abilities of today small benign lung nodules are found all the time and they aren't normally considered large enough to cause problems like a cough.  Your physician may want to scan again in a few months or a year to check in with it again. 

 

It is helpful in communicating with a doc to let them know what you know about the subject.  So when you ask the doc, "what does this mean", she'll know where to start.  She may want to see a pulmonologist for further workup on her cough.  There are many reasons for a persistent cough. 

 

On a personal note, my husband had a problematic lung cancer that didn't cause much of a cough but I had pertussis that left me with a persistent cough for 2 years.  Often, working alongside a doc, trial and error is the only way to find a way to manage a cough. 

 

I hope your mother gets relief soon.  All best,

Janine

I joined GRACE as a caregiver for my husband who had a Pancoast tumor, NSCLC stage III in 2009. He had curative chemo/rads then it was believed he had a recurrence in the spine/oligometastasis that was radiated. He's 10 years out from treatment.

cards7up
Posts: 635

You also might want to get her an appointment with a pulmonologist to find out what might be causing the cough. As Janine stated, those two small nodules would not be the cause. Take care, Judy