“Can an X-ray detect cancer?”
My chest X-ray shows lung nodules. I am worried that this could be a sign of cancer. Will these have to be sent for biopsy to confirm or is there any other way to diagnose?
7 Answers
Yes. Are prior xrays available for comparison? Suggest follow up in 2 months. If change get PET CT of lungs.
As a follow- up, most times nodules do not need biopsy and can be followed up with repeat X-ray or chest CT.
Dr Cox
Dr Cox
This is a legitimate concern, however, you should undergo a CT surveillance program with respect to your lungs and lung nodules. Very commonly, incidentally noted nodules in patients with no smoking history and or low risk factors for lung cancer show nodules to be benign over time. At initial discovery, unless of an obvious size that needs to be biopsied (1 cm or greater), it is reasonable to follow them with serial repetitive CT scans at six month intervals for 2-3 years, depending.
Yes, an X-ray can detect some cancers. CT is better for screening high risk patients. PET-CT is best for known nodules larger than 8mm, as PET imaging detects metabolic activity, which is usually increased in cancer. If that is positive, then a biopsy may be appropriate to determine the specific type of cancer you are dealing with so the best treatment can be selected.
Look up the fleishner criteria 2017 for follow up recommendations.
You could undergo PET/CT first if you are worried about the biopsy.
Are these calcified nodules soft tissue nodules? Were they on previous chest x-rays or are they a new finding and if they were present previously, have they changed? Your physician may want to get additional examinations (such as a chest CT) to obtain more information.
