In the past two years, we are paying more and more attention to medical checkups, and at the same time, various “nodules”, “polyps”, “cysts”, “hyperplasia “and other test results appear more and more on the medical examination report. When many people see these “abnormal” test results, they start to worry about cancer, and even if it is not cancer, they worry that it will develop into cancer. Some of them are torn between surgery or no surgery. So, are these “abnormal” test results cancer, will they develop into cancer, and should they be treated?
Small lung nodules – less than 8 mm is nothing to be afraid of
In the past, most of the medical checkups were done by chest X-ray, which usually could not detect small lung nodules. However, the incidence of lung cancer in our country is very high, so many places have upgraded the chest X-ray to CT, and with the popularity of this program, more and more people have the word “small lung nodules” on their physical examination report.
Are lung nodules lung cancer? Or will it become lung cancer if it continues to develop? In fact, there is no need to be worried when you see the word “small lung nodules”, because lung nodules may be pneumonia, tuberculosis, or scars left by previous tuberculosis, and the percentage of real lung cancer is very small.
More than 90% of lung nodules are benign, and only 1.2% are truly malignant. Small lung nodules are mostly caused by benign diseases, and the probability of a lung nodule less than 6 mm being lung cancer is less than 1%, so there is not much to worry about. Lung nodules between 6 and 8 mm in diameter have a probability of lung cancer of
For lung nodules larger than 8 mm in diameter, the probability of lung cancer is more than 3%.
According to the latest international guidelines for the diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, it is recommended that
1, for ground glass nodules larger than 6 mm and solid nodules of 6-8 mm, the follow-up interval should be 18-24 months if the change is not significant at 6-12 months follow-up.
2. For solid nodules of 8 mm or more, the possibility of malignant lesions is increased, and a 3-month follow-up is required, and PET-CT examination or pathological biopsy is considered to clarify the diagnosis.
Thyroid nodules – 95% are benign, but beware of those with poor activity
Many people are nervous when they see the word “nodules” and are afraid that they will need surgery, and they are also worried if they have thyroid cancer or not, and if they need to avoid eating.
The main reason why many people have thyroid nodules is because of the advances in B-ultrasound technology, which allows us to see nodules as small as 3 mm. In fact, there is no need to worry about “thyroid nodules” below 1 cm and no need for further examination. These nodules are mostly soft or tough, with smooth surface and clear borders, and can move up and down with swallowing, which is a benign sign. Most thyroid cancers are “inert tumors”, that is, “it is lazy and does not like to metastasize or progress.”
If the nodule is 1-4 cm in size, it is important to have regular checkups. If the nodule is poorly mobile and the examination shows high blood flow, you should be careful and have a puncture biopsy as recommended by your doctor. In addition, if the nodule is benign, but is large and causing pressure on the organs around the trachea, surgery may also need to be considered.
Mammary gland hyperplasia – a normal physiological phenomenon
Eight out of 10 girls have “breast enlargement” during a physical examination. At this time, many women tend to go to the hospital and ask their doctors, “Will breast enlargement turn into breast cancer?” In fact, the majority of mammary gland hyperplasia is caused by the presence of the breast. In fact, most patients with breast enlargement do not need treatment at all.
In medical terms, some breast enlargement is a normal physiological phenomenon. The most typical is the period-induced mastopexy, where women’s breasts are particularly uncomfortable before their period, feeling bloated and a little painful, but the bloating and pain gradually disappears after the aunt. In addition, some women often wear underwear that is too tight in order to show off their “good figure”; or when something unhappy has happened recently and they are depressed and under a lot of mental stress, it can also cause short-term mastopexy.
The mammary gland hyperplasia is actually a benign lesion, a normal physiological phenomenon, no special treatment, very few will develop into breast cancer, pay attention to regular review can be. In addition, as long as you maintain a good state of mind every day, eat less food containing high hormones, and adhere to the appropriate amount of exercise can effectively relieve breast enlargement.
Gallbladder polyps – a large number of them are generally fine
The incidence of gallbladder polyps in China is nearly 6 percent, almost one in 16 people. Most people are found on ultrasound. It is often asymptomatic, only a few people will feel uncomfortable in the upper abdomen, or can be involved in the right shoulder and back pain together. Many people are frightened when they see the words “gallbladder polyp” on the report form, and they think it is cancer. In fact, “gallbladder polyp” is just an image term on the ultrasound report, but it is not distinguishable from cancer by ultrasound, so it is collectively called “gallbladder polyp”.
To see whether a gallbladder polyp is cancerous or not, or whether it is likely to be cancerous, it mainly depends on the type of polyp.
Cholesterol polyps: basically nothing
More than 65% of gallbladder polyps belong to “cholesterol polyps”, which are crystals formed by the increase of cholesterol in bile due to overeating, and finally too much to be dissolved, and gallstones are brothers and sisters, and several of them are found, and there are no reports of cancer. And if you improve your diet, it may shrink! So if the impact report says “multiple gallbladder polyps”, you can generally breathe a sigh of relief.
Doctors generally believe that gallbladder polyps <1 cm in diameter, multiple, asymptomatic, and not bothering can be left alone and monitored closely with ultrasound once every 3 to 6 months.
”True polyps: Beware
The main types of “true polyps” are gallbladder adenoma, adenomyoma, inflammatory polyp and adenomatous hyperplasia.
1, inflammatory polyps are the most honest, is the long-term stimulation of stones combined with the formation of chronic cholecystitis, may be very painful, but almost not cancerous;
2. Adenomatous hyperplasia and adenomatous hyperplasia, which have a 3% to 6% chance of becoming cancerous;
3. Gallbladder adenoma has the highest cancer rate, although it is a benign tumor, the cancer rate is about 30%!
”True polyps are usually single, and some of them have blood vessels to feed them and make them grow rapidly. So when you find a single polyp, >1 cm in diameter, thickening of the gallbladder wall >4 mm, rapid increase in polyp size (>3 mm in 6 months), blood vessels in the polyp on ultrasound, as well as gallstones and recurrent abdominal pain, you should definitely consider surgery!
Colorectal polyps – distinguish between inflammatory and adenomatous
In addition to lung cancer, the incidence of bowel cancer is also increasing in our country. Related to bowel cancer are polyps. There are two types of intestinal polyps, inflammatory polyps and adenomatous polyps, the former is benign while the latter is prone to cancer.
Colorectal polyps usually take more than 15 years to develop from benign to malignant. If detected at an early stage, the cure rate is very high (more than 90%) after surgical removal. Screening tools such as colonoscopy are effective in detecting early tumors, and it is its popularity that has allowed the incidence of malignant colorectal cancer in the United States to increase at a rate of 3% per year over the past 10 years.
The incidence of malignant colorectal cancer in the United States has declined at an annual rate of 3% over the past 10 years.
In addition, experts recommend that
1. Since the age of onset of bowel cancer tends to be older, normal people above the age of 50 can have a screening, and if there is no problem, they can have a colonoscopy at an interval of 3~5 years.
The recurrence rate of intestinal polyps is relatively high, and the location and nature of polyps may be different when they recur, so regular colonoscopy must be done 1~2 years after surgery.
3, In addition, if you find blood in the stool, do not take it for granted that it is hemorrhoids and take it lightly.
Simple liver cysts – less than 5 cm do not need to be treated
Many people who have been examined for “liver cysts” feel as if they have liver cancer, and feel hopeless and jealous of their lives, but it is not necessary. Most of the liver cysts are congenital, i.e. “carried in the womb”, and grow very, very slowly, and most people have no obvious symptoms. If not discovered by chance during a physical examination, some people may not even discover them for the rest of their lives.
The most common type of liver cyst is simple liver cyst, which is mainly caused by congenital abnormal development of intrahepatic bile ducts or lymphatic ducts, and is a benign lesion of the liver. Due to the slow growth of cysts, most people do not have any obvious symptoms.
Generally, liver cysts smaller than 5 cm do not require any treatment, but it is necessary to visit the hospital for regular (every 6 or 12 months) B-ultrasound review. If it is larger than 5 cm, it should be treated in hospital.
Simple kidney cysts – no symptoms, no treatment
Kidney cysts are also a condition often found during medical checkups. In fact, similar to liver cysts, simple renal cysts are common in the population, though not innately so, and their incidence is related to age, the older you are, the higher the incidence. In the cyst is the urine exuded from the kidney, there is no possibility of malignant change, it is usually small, slow developing, asymptomatic and does not need treatment.
Treatment is required when the kidney cyst exceeds 5 cm, or when the cyst presses on the surrounding tissues and causes symptoms such as pain, soreness and swelling in the lower limbs. Treatment methods can be divided into puncture and minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery to remove the cyst depending on the depth of the cyst location. After simple renal cysts are found, you should review the kidney ultrasound after three months or six months to see how fast the cysts are growing. If the growth is slow, you only need to check the ultrasound every other year to observe it, and there are no contraindications in life.
Uterine fibroids – most of them are fine with each other
The word “fibroids” is too easily associated with cancer! In fact, this “tumor” is not the other “tumor”, most of the fibroids are benign. Uterine fibroids are also a regular feature of gynecological checkups, and are encountered by almost a third of all mothers. Some small fibroids are not only asymptomatic, but even difficult to detect during gynecological examinations, and are only occasionally detected by ultrasound.
If the fibroids are small, the patient has no obvious symptoms, and there are no signs of malignancy after checking the fibroids, regular follow-up is sufficient. However, if a single fibroid is more than 5 cm in diameter, it is a more serious case and should be removed surgically in time.
It turns out that these “nodules”, “polyps”, “cysts” and “hyperplasia” also have good and bad, after reading this The article, no longer have to worry about yourself blindly!