Screening in a 68-year-old former smoker
An 18 mm solid nodule in the upper left lung, with spiculated edges.
Spiculated means spiky rather than smooth. Together with the size, the spiky edge is the reason to check this nodule promptly.
No enlarged lymph nodes in the chest.
Mild emphysema at the top of both lungs, consistent with the smoking history.
No earlier chest scan on file to compare with, so there is no way to tell whether the nodule is new.
A single nodule with irregular, spiky edges. Its size and shape, with nothing earlier to compare against, are the reasons to check it promptly rather than wait and see.
PET-CT in the next few weeks, and a radiologist's review of this study
