An early test to diagnose a pulmonary nodule is to compare past x-ray or CT scan to the present one. This shows whether the nodule has significantly grown in size since the last scan or x-ray. If the nodule hasn't increased in size, it is most probably benign (non-cancerous).
Non-cancerous pulmonary nodules can be formed for a variety of reasons. These are infections, hamartoma (normal cells clumped together), cysts, and abnormalities in the blood flow and blood vessels. Constant monitoring of the nodule and comparative imaging test may determine the course of action in treating this type of pulmonary nodule. More often than not, it requires minimal or no treatment.
Study shows breath analysis could help diagnose pulmonary nodules
A pilot study, published in the October 2012 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, showed that breath testing could be used to discriminate between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. The study looked at 74 patients who were under investigation for pulmonary nodules and attended a referral clinic in Colorado between March 2009 and May 2010.
Researchers from Israel and Colorado collected exhaled breath from each patient, analyzing the exhaled volatile organic compounds using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry and information from chemical nanoarrays, which have been developed by Prof. Hossam Haick and his colleagues in the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The patients also underwent a bronchoscopy, wedge resection and/or lobectomy, whichever was required for final diagnosis. Nodules that either regressed or remained stable over a 24-month period were considered benign.
