Benign tumors can grow but do not spread. There is no way to tell from symptoms alone if a tumor is benign or malignant. Often an MRI scan can reveal the tumor type, but in many cases, a biopsy is required. If you are diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, you’re not alone.

LNCtips.com: Wound Sizing

Nodules between 6 mm and 10 mm need to be carefully assessed. Nodules greater than 10 mm in diameter should be biopsied or removed due to the 80 percent probability that they are malignant. Nodules greater than 3 cm are referred to as lung masses.

Lung nodules are usually about 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) to 1.2 inches (30 millimeters) in size. A larger lung nodule, such as one that’s 30 millimeters or larger, is more likely to be cancerous than is a smaller lung nodule.

Most lung nodules are benign, or non-cancerous. In fact, only 3 or 4 out of 100 lung nodules end up being cancerous, or less than five percent. But, lung nodules should always be further evaluated for cancer, even if they’re small.

A solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) is a single abnormality in the lung that is smaller than 3 cm in diameter. Generally, a pulmonary nodule must grow to at least 1 cm in diameter before it can be seen on a chest X-ray.

However, your doctor may suspect a lung nodule is cancerous if it grows quickly, or has ridged edges. Even if your doctor believes the nodule is benign or non-cancerous, he or she may order follow-up chest scans for some time to monitor the nodule and identify any changes in size, shape or appearance.

Your doctor may continue to a check your lung nodule each year for up to five years to ensure that it is benign. Benign nodules also tend to have smoother edges and have a more even color throughout as well as a more regular shape than cancerous nodules.

Half of all patients treated for a cancerous pulmonary nodule live at least five years past the diagnosis. But if the nodule is one centimeter across or smaller, survival after five years rises to 80 percent.

Causes and Diagnoses of Lung Nodules

• Bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis and pneumonia.
• Fungal infections, such as histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis or aspergillosis.
• Lung cysts and abscesses.
• Small collections of normal cells, called hamartoma.
• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Sarcoidosis.

Benign pulmonary nodules can be caused by various things. Some of the causes include: Bacterial, fungal, or viral infections. This is usually an old infection that is no longer active, but it can sometimes be a current, active infection.

The aetiology of multiple pulmonary nodules is quite complex, with metastatic disease being the most common cause. Other possibilities include sarcoidosis or an inflammatory process, such as fungus, tuberculosis, nocardiosis or septic emboli.

Many internal benign tumors are found and located by imaging tests, including: CT scans. MRI scans. mammograms.