Lung-RADS: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Lung-RADS

Also written as: Lung CT Screening Reporting and Data System, LungRADS

Lung-RADS sorts lung cancer screening CT scans into categories, from 0 (incomplete) and 1 (negative) to 4 (suspicious), each with a next step.

Seen on: CT

How it reads in a report

Impression: Lung-RADS 3, probably benign. 7 mm solid nodule in the right upper lobe; low-dose CT in 6 months is recommended.

What it means

Lung-RADS is used only on low-dose CT scans that screen for lung cancer. These are offered to people at higher risk, usually because of heavy smoking. The radiologist gives the whole scan one category, based on its most concerning nodule. Size, type (solid, partly solid or hazy) and any growth all count. Each category comes with a recommended next step.

When it matters

Most screening scans are category 1 (negative) or 2 (benign appearance), which means the next yearly scan. Category 0 means more images or older scans are needed. 3 is probably benign, with a repeat scan in 6 months. 4A is suspicious and usually means a repeat CT in 3 months, sometimes a PET-CT. 4B and 4X are very suspicious, and further tests or a biopsy are often advised. An S marks an important finding unrelated to lung cancer.

Questions to ask your doctor

What category is my scan, and what size and type is the main nodule?
When is my next screening scan due?
If my category is 4, what tests come next and how soon?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.