The Solitary Pulmonary Nodule: A Critical Evaluation

Abstract

In a series of 1,639 cases of solitary pulmonary nodules treated by surgical excision, the incidence of malignancy was 34 per cent. The incidence of malignancy in nodules found in x-ray screening programs has been reported as 3 and 4.5 per cent. Application of the Rhoads formula for preventive cancer surgery vindicates surgical resection of solitary pulmonary nodules when lesions having concentric lamination, total calcification or a large central core of calcium are eliminated.