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The diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer presented as ground-glass nodule

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  • Diagnosis and Treatment for Early Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
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Abstract

Pulmonary nodules that manifest as ground-glass opacity are particularly challenging on account of their malignant potential and heterogeneous characteristics. The “ground-glass nodule-like” lung cancer is different from the conventional lung cancer. This review focuses on the radiologic and pathologic classifications of ground-glass nodules, along with the staging and clinical management of these lesions. In addition, we discuss the lung cancer high-risk population shift and follow-up of ground-glass nodules in the light of experience from screening trials. The standard of care surgical treatment of early lung cancer is still lobectomy with systematic lymph node dissection. However, a recent research has shown that some ground-glass nodules may be treated with sublobar resections or non-surgical treatment; these findings may expand the treatment options available in the future.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this work was provided by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC0907504), the Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Special Fund for Digestive System Multidisciplinary Synergic Development (XXT18), and the Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Youth Program (QML20171106).

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Correspondence to Ke-Neng Chen.

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Chen, KN. The diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer presented as ground-glass nodule. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 68, 697–702 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-019-01267-4

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