My doctor has been taking chest x-rays of me 3 times in 4 months due to infections and multiple pulmonary embolisms brought on by a rare disease called, "Behcet's Disease". On the most recent chest x-ray and a CT scan taken just 5 days ago, he told me there was a new development of a "nodule" located in my lower right lung. He said "we need to follow this closely with more frequent x-rays and purhaps a biopsy". I was in shock and couldn't bring myself to ask appropriate questions. What is a "nodule" in the lung and what are the ramifications? What if anything should I prepare myself for if this is bad news?

Although most lung nodules are noncancerous (benign), some represent early-stage lung cancer.

Lung nodules — small masses of tissue in the lung — are quite common. They appear as round, white shadows on a chest X-ray or computerized tomography (CT) scan.

Your doctor may compare your current chest X-ray or CT scan with a previous one. If the nodule appears in earlier scans and hasn't changed in size, shape or appearance, it's probably noncancerous. Causes of noncancerous lung nodules include histoplasmosis, tuberculosis, lung cysts and vascular abnormalities. Such nodules usually require no treatment.

However, if a nodule is new or has changed in size, shape or appearance, your doctor may recommend further testing — such as a CT scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan or tissue biopsy — to determine if it is cancerous.