I had chest X ray yesterday and it shown mass in lung. My symptoms were cough and pain in rib area. Is it possible that this mass in my lung is a cancer? Is it possible that it could be something else? How is lung cancer diagnosed?
Well, chest x ray is first step. Did you have CT scan? CT scan is usually done to show the lung mass and an MRI may be part of the evaluation for a lung mass. Although these tests may suggest the presence of cancer, a biopsy is needed to make the diagnosis. A needle biopsy is a technique in which a radiologist anesthetizes the skin and inserts a needle through the chest into a lung mass and this will diagnose about 2/3 of lung cancers, depending on the size and location of the cancer.