dwalker
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Recent I had a CT scan done for becoming a potential donor for a kidney transplant. The results were my kidney is fine but they found 'Multiple nodular groundglass opacities in the left lung base, concerning for infectious/inflammatory process:. What does this mean. The lower chest has multiple nodular air space and groundglass opacities in left lung base, measuring from 5 - 18 mm, which are concerning for an infectious/inflammatory process. I am waiting to see a doctor, but was trying to do some research on my own so I would not be so confusing or at least be able to ask some questions. Can you explain or give me a little more information as to what does a finding like this means. Thank you
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Reply # - April 10, 2015, 09:43 AM
Keep in mind that this is a
Keep in mind that this is a cancer website and our doctors are oncologists who work with people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Having said that we do get a lot of questions about what if and Dr. West has written a post on the subject of GGO (ground-glass opacities). In it he states, “...hazy GGOs are another form of lung lesion that might possibly represent a lung cancer but are also the way a little inflammation or small infection would appear. Even when they turn out to be something technically called cancer based on its appearance under the microscope, it’s often a non-invasive adenocarcinoma (sometimes termed bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, orBAC, but shifting in terminology to adenocarcinoma in situ, or AIS) or minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), in which the invasive component is less than 5 mm in diameter. Even when they grow, it can be at an extremely slow pace.” http://cancergrace.org/lung/tag/ground-glass-opacity/
Infection in the lungs is pneumonia and is explained well by Mayo, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumonia/basics/definiti… .
Inflammation of the lung is explained by Mayo, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumonitis/basics/defini…
Most often these findings are something other than cancer and I hope you fit into the norm here and move forward.
All best,
Janine