Stony Brook Cancer Center’s Lung Nodule Clinic is part of the overall comprehensive Lung Cancer Program. The focus of this clinic is diagnosing and managing pulmonary nodules to ensure proper surveillance for early detection of lung cancer.
A nodule is a small mass of tissue in the lung. Most lung nodules are noncancerous (benign). The most common causes of developing lung nodules include:
• Clumps of inflamed tissue due to an infection or inflammation (granulomas)
• Benign lung tumors (hamartomas)
• Infections such as TB/fungal infections
• Sarcoidosis
The most common causes of malignant lung nodules include lung cancer or cancers from other regions of the body that have spread to the lungs (metastatic cancer). The larger the nodule the more likely the risk of malignancy. In this case, further testing is warranted.
Most patients with lung nodules have no symptoms at all. A patient’s symptoms may include: dyspnea (shortness of breath), weight loss, hemoptysis (coughing up blood) or a cough. The majority of lung nodules are found incidentally during a routine visit or by being evaluated for other medical issues.
How Lung Nodules Are Found
Many times, when a CT scan of the abdomen is performed, the base of the lung is visible and nodules are found. At other times, a nodule on a chest x-ray may be discovered during pre-testing for a procedure. In this case, a dedicated CT scan of the chest is recommended. A patient’s primary care doctor or a specialist can provide a referral to the Lung Nodule Clinic.
Making an Appointment
• An appointment is made with a nurse practitioner for an overall medical assessment and evaluation.
• A dedicated nodular enhancement CT scan of the lungs is performed at Stony Brook Medicine’s Advanced Imaging where it is read by a radiologist who specializes in lung disease.
• After the CT scan results are obtained, the patient has an appointment with the Nurse Practitioner who will review the images with the patient and determine the if the nodule is benign or malignant. They will use national guidelines and clinical judgement to determine when the next scan needs to be completed. If there is growth of the nodule or the nodule is greater than 8mm in size, the next step is to schedule a PET scan and obtain a biopsy. If needed, a referral to an interventional radiologist, interventional pulmonologist, or surgeon is given for further diagnostic testing.
When Lung Cancer Is Diagnosed
The multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Management Team creates an optimal treatment plan based on the individual’s needs. The specialists on the team include cardiothoracic surgeons, interventional pulmonologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, interventional radiologists, pathologists, oncology-certified nurse practitioners and nurses. A meeting is held once a week where the specialists discuss, coordinate and collaborate on each patient’s treatment plan.
Risk Factor Evaluation
Individuals who have risk factors for lung cancer, including having smoked for more than 30 years and/or are older than 55 years of age and quit less than 15 years ago, would be referred to the Lung Cancer Screening Program for an evaluation. If any results were suspicious, the patient would be referred for further evaluation by the lung cancer professionals.
For an appointment, call (631) 444-2981.
To learn more:
Lung Cancer Management Team