The survival rate forlung canceris highest when caught and treated in the early stages.
These tumors can behave similarly to malignant tumors in some ways, but there are important distinctions.
They are very rare and therefore little is known about their prognosis or best treatments.
Illustration by Joshua Seong. © Verywell, 2017.
There are, however, exceptions.
Benign tumors in or near the airways (endobronchial tumors) may result in obstruction of the airways.
Benign tumors do not usually result in symptoms common with lung cancer such as unintentional weight loss or hoarseness.
Causes
The causes of most types of benign lung tumors are unknown.
In fact, up to25% of lung cancers are missed on chest X-rays.
Other imaging tests may also be done at times, including MRI, bone scan, or PET scan.
Procedures
If a tumor is near the large airways, it may be seen onbronchoscopy.
A biopsy may also be done via the airways during this procedure (endobronchial biopsy).
When the diagnosis is uncertain, alung biopsymay be needed.
When a benign tumor is small, the entire tumor may be removed during a biopsy procedure.
Special instruments are then used to remove an area of the lungs.
Benign lung tumors represent a very diverse group of tumors.
Fortunately, a large number of these tumors are harmless and can simply be left alone without treatment.
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