Nodule (medicine)

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Nodule
Nodules.svg
Specialty Pathology

In medicine, a nodule is a small, discrete lump or growth that is different from surrounding tissue. They are often detected by medical imaging and can be either benign or malignant. [1]

Contents

Definitions vary by medical specialty. In dermatology, nodules are usually greater than 1 cm in diameter, in contrast to raised, soft bumps of less than 1 cm, which are termed papules, and to cysts, which contain fluid. [2] In pulmonology, when imaging the lungs by radiography, a nodule is a round, focal opacity in the lung tissue of less than 3 cm in diameter, with lesions larger than that instead termed masses. [3] In endocrinology, a thyroid nodule is a lump formed by abnormal growth. [4]


The evaluation of a skin nodule includes a description of its appearance, its location, how it feels to touch and any associated symptoms which may give clues to an underlying medical condition. [5]

Nodules in skin include dermatofibroma [6] and pyogenic granuloma. [7] Nodules may form on tendons and muscles in response to injury, [8] and are frequently found on vocal cords. [9] They may occur in organs such as the lung, [10] or thyroid, [11] or be a sign in other medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. [12]

Characteristics

Nodules are small, firm lumps found in skin and other organs. [13]

Evaluation

The evaluation of a skin nodule includes a description of its appearance, its location, how it feels to touch and any associated symptoms which may give clues to an underlying medical condition. [5]

Often discovered unintentionally on a chest x-ray, a single nodule in the lung requires assessment to exclude cancer. [10]

Conditions

Nodules may form on tendons and muscles in response to injury, [8] and are frequently found on vocal cords. [9] They occur in conditions including endometriosis, [14] neurofibromatosis, [7] and in rheumatoid arthritis. [12] They may also feature in Kaposi's sarcoma [15] and gonorrhea. [16]

Other examples

References

  1. ↑ "Nodule Definition – NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms". National Cancer Institute. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  2. ↑ "Terminology in dermatology – Nodule". DermNet NZ. Retrieved 2026-01-06. Nodule — elevated, solid, palpable lesion > 1 cm usually located primarily in the dermis and subcutis.
  3. ↑ "Solitary Pulmonary Nodule – StatPearls". NCBI Bookshelf. Retrieved 2026-01-06. A solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) represents a discrete, rounded opacity within the lung parenchyma that is <3 cm in diameter.
  4. ↑ "Thyroid Nodules – American Thyroid Association". American Thyroid Association. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  5. 1 2 Evangelisto, Amy; Werth, Victoria; Schumacher, H. Ralph (October 2006). "What is that nodule? A diagnostic approach to evaluating subcutaneous and cutaneous nodules". Journal of Clinical Rheumatology: Practical Reports on Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases. 12 (5): 230–240. doi:10.1097/01.rhu.0000240034.72958.2f. ISSN   1076-1608. PMID   17023809.
  6. 1 2 Linton, Christina P. (March 2011). "Essential Morphologic Terms and Definitions". Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association. 3 (2): 102–103. doi:10.1097/JDN.0b013e318211c6f0. ISSN   1945-760X.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dermal and subcutaneous lesions | DermNet NZ". dermnetnz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  8. 1 2 Ashton-Miller, James A. (11 April 1999). "III: Workshop Papers". Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: Report, Workshop Summary, and Workshop Papers. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Response of Muscle and Tendon to Injury and Overuse. ISBN   0-309-06397-3 . Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  9. 1 2 "BRITISH VOICE ASSOCIATION: Vocal nodules". www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  10. 1 2 Kikano, George E.; Fabien, Andre; Schilz, Robert (15 December 2015). "Evaluation of the Solitary Pulmonary Nodule". American Family Physician. 92 (12): 1084–1091. ISSN   0002-838X. PMID   26760594 . Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  11. 1 2 Britton, K. E.; Gilday, David L.; Maisey, Michael (2013-12-11). Clinical Nuclear Medicine. Springer. ISBN   978-1-4899-3358-4.
  12. 1 2 "Rheumatoid nodules in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)". NRAS. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  13. ↑ Mosby (2013). Mosby's Medical Dictionary - E-Book. Elsevier. pp. 1235–1236. ISBN   978-0-323-11258-1.
  14. ↑ Nisenblat V, Bossuyt PM, Farquhar C, Johnson N, Hull ML (February 2016). "Imaging modalities for the non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016 (2) CD009591. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd009591.pub2. PMC   7100540 . PMID   26919512. painful palpable nodules
  15. ↑ Massi, Daniela; Luzar, Boštjan; Alos, Llucia (2016). "15. Common skin tumours of the head and neck". In Cardesa, Antonio; Slootweg, Pieter J.; Gale, Nina; Franchi, Alessandro (eds.). Pathology of the Head and Neck. Springer. p. 737. ISBN   978-3-662-49670-1.
  16. ↑ Berg, Dale; Worzala, Katherine (2006). "3. Female genitourinary examination". Atlas of Adult Physical Diagnosis. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-7817-4190-3.
  17. ↑ "New York Thyroid Center: Thyroid Nodules". Archived from the original on 2010-09-17.
  18. ↑ Ost, David; Fein, Alan M.; Feinsilver, Steven H. (June 2003). "Clinical practice. The solitary pulmonary nodule". New England Journal of Medicine. 348 (25): 2535–42. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp012290. PMID   12815140.
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