- With Mayo Clinic emeritus internist
Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D.
Edward Rosenow, M.D.
Dr. Edward Rosenow III spent his entire professional career at Mayo Clinic, retiring after 31 years. He was born in Ohio and obtained his M.D. at Ohio State University. Prior to his retirement, he was the Arthur M. and Gladys D. Gray Professor of Medicine.
He has achieved numerous awards and honors, including the Mayo Fellows Hall of Fame of Outstanding Teachers, president of the Mayo staff, president of the American College of Chest Physicians, Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, an honor lectureship in his name given each year at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, the Mayo Foundation Distinguished Alumnus Award, and most recently the Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D., Professorship in The Art of Medicine by the Bruce Clinton family. He recently received the Mayo Plummer Society Award for Excellence in Medicine.
"It has always been my feeling that the better informed the patient is about his or her body and its functions, the better the patient-physician partnership," he says. "The informed patient is in turn more compliant with the physician's recommendations and better able to make intelligent decisions about health care needs."
He was chairman of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. He is a Master Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians. He considers the Karis ("caring" in Greek) Award from Mayo Clinic as one of his most cherished awards, because he learned over the years that many times the gift of caring and compassion are more effective in healing than the powers of modern medicine. As a result of this award he wrote a book, "The Art of Living … The Art of Medicine," about how medicine should be practiced.
Dr. Rosenow has contributed to more than 170 publications, including over 30 book chapters, two books, two co-authored books and four amici curiae for the U.S. Supreme Court on tobacco legislation.
Definition (1)
- Lung nodules: Can they be cancerous?
Treatments and drugs (1)
- Photodynamic therapy: An effective treatment for lung cancer?
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Question
Lung nodules: Can they be cancerous?
Can lung nodules be cancerous?
Answer
from Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D.
Most lung nodules are noncancerous (benign). However, some lung nodules may be cancerous — either early-stage lung cancer or metastatic cancer that has spread to the lungs from another site in the body.
Lung nodules — small masses of tissue in the lung — are quite common. They appear as round, white shadows on a chest X-ray or computerized tomography (CT) scan. They're usually about .2 inch (5 millimeters) to 1 inch (25 mm) in size. A larger lung nodule, such as one that's 25 mm or larger, is more likely to be cancerous than is a smaller lung nodule.
The most helpful thing your doctor can do is compare your current chest X-ray or CT scan with a previous one. If the nodule on earlier images hasn't changed in size, shape or appearance, it's probably noncancerous. Causes of noncancerous lung nodules include infections, such as histoplasmosis or tuberculosis, a small collection of normal cells (hamartoma), lung cysts, and vascular abnormalities. Noncancerous lung nodules usually require no treatment. However, your doctor will probably monitor the nodule for changes using periodic imaging tests.
If a lung nodule is new or has changed in size, shape or appearance, your doctor may recommend further testing — such as a CT scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, bronchoscopy or tissue biopsy — to determine if it is cancerous.
A CT scan is usually the first test if it's suspected that a nodule is malignant. If there is no evidence that the possible cancer has spread, then surgical removal may be recommended. If results of the CT scan are indeterminate, then the decision may be made to observe with follow-up imaging or a biopsy. If you have multiple lung nodules (two or more), especially if not in just one lung, your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment plan that's specific to your case.
Next questionPhotodynamic therapy: An effective treatment for lung cancer?
- Weinberger SE, et al. Diagnostic evaluation and initial management of the solitary pulmonary nodule. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 12, 2011.
- Rosenow EC (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 15, 2011.
- Moynihan TJ (expert opinion). MayoClinic, Rochester, Minn. April 16, 2011.
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