Small solitary pulmonary nodules : Lung Cancer

The small, solitary pulmonary nodule presents a diagnostic challenge. Traditional diagnostic approaches used for larger nodules are less informative for these smaller abnormalities. Thus, with the increasing availability and usage of CT scanners, we are faced with increasing numbers of smaller nodules, which are more difficult to diagnose. An historical perspective that compares the current situation to an analogous situation in the 1940s and 1950s, when lung cancer rates were increasing as chest radiograph usage was becoming more available, can provide insight into future directions.