Edward Y. Chan, Puja Gaur, Yimin Ge, Lisa Kopas, Jose F. Santacruz, Nakul Gupta, Reginald F. Munden, Philip T. Cagle, and Min P. Kim (2017) Management of the Solitary Pulmonary Nodule. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine: July 2017, Vol. 141, No. 7, pp. 927-931.

SPECIAL SECTION—THIRD PRINCETON INTEGRATED PATHOLOGY SYMPOSIUM: THORACIC PATHOLOGY

Management of the Solitary Pulmonary Nodule

Edward Y. Chan, MD; Puja Gaur, MD; Yimin Ge, MD; Lisa Kopas, MD; Jose F. Santacruz, MD; Nakul Gupta, MD; Reginald F. Munden, MD; Philip T. Cagle, MD; Min P. Kim, MD

From the Departments of Surgery, Division of Thoracic Surgery (Drs Chan, Gaur, and Kim); Pathology and Genomic Medicine (Drs Ge and Cagle); Interventional Pulmonology, Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine (Drs Kopas and Santacruz); Radiology (Drs Gupta and Munden); Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College (Drs Gaur and Kim); Pathology, Weill Cornell Medical College (Drs Ge and Cagle); and Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas (Dr Munden).

Reprints: Edward Y. Chan, MD, 6550 Fannin St, Ste 1661, Houston, TX 77030 (email: eychan@houstonmethodist.org).

The authors have no relevant financial interest in the products or companies described in this article.

Context.— Optimal management of the patient with a solitary pulmonary nodule entails early diagnosis and appropriate treatment for patients with malignant tumors, and minimization of unnecessary interventions and procedures for those with ultimately benign nodules. With the growing number of high-resolution imaging modalities and studies available, incidentally found solitary pulmonary nodules are an increasingly common occurrence.

Objective.— To provide guidance to clinicians involved in the management of patients with a solitary pulmonary nodule, including aspects of risk stratification, workup, diagnosis, and management.

Data Sources.— Data for this review were gathered from an extensive literature review on the topic.

Conclusions.— Logical evaluation and management pathways for a patient with a solitary pulmonary nodule will allow providers to diagnose and treat individuals with early stage lung cancer and minimize morbidity from invasive procedures for patients with benign lesions.