Open AccessRisk stratification of indeterminate pulmonary nodules
Author(s) -
Rafael Paez,
Michael N. Kammer,
Pierre P. Massion
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
current opinion in pulmonary medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.937
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1531-6971
pISSN - 1070-5287
DOI - 10.1097/mcp.0000000000000780
Subject(s) - medicine , risk stratification , indeterminate , lung cancer screening , intensive care medicine , lung cancer , clinical trial , risk assessment , clinical practice , medical physics , oncology , physical therapy , mathematics , computer security , computer science , pure mathematics
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, with poor overall 5-year survival. Early detection and diagnosis are key to survival as demonstrated in lung cancer screening trials. However, with increasing implementation of screening guidelines and use of computed tomography, there has been a sharp rise in the incidence of indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs). Risk stratification of IPNs, particularly those in the intermediate-risk category, remains challenging in clinical practice. Individual risk factors, imaging characteristics, biomarkers, and prediction models are currently used to assist in risk stratifying patients, but such strategies remain suboptimal. This review focuses on established risk stratification methods, current areas of research, and future directions.