Florentino Pérez, operated on for a pulmonary nodule: what is it and how is it detected?

The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perezunderwent surgery this Tuesday for a .

The intervention was carried out at the Puerta de Hierro University Hospital in Majadahonda, and according to initial information, it has a good prognosis.

Pérez, who will have to park his professional schedule, which prevents him from being part of the Real Madrid expedition that has traveled to Leipzig to play the Champions League match, will have to rest for the next few days.

A pulmonary nodule is a small group of cells in the lungs, and can be benign or cancerous.

As explained by Dr. Luis Seijo Maceirasdirector of the Department of Pneumology at , “lung nodules are usually asymptomatic.”

For this reason, those patients with risk factors (smoking, a history of lung cancer or exposure to asbestos) should undergo regular check-ups to detect them in time.

Because in this case, as in so many others, early detection “increases the chances of treating lung cancer in its early stages.”

Lung cancer cases in women have tripled since 2001 due to smoking.

How is a pulmonary nodule diagnosed?

To detect a nodule in the lungs, the pulmonology specialist basically performs the following medical tests:

• CT.

• Respiratory function tests.

As Dr. Seijo Maceiras points out, “approximately 40% of smokers and ex-smokers who have a chest CT scan have benign pulmonary nodules.

Sometimes it will be necessary to repeat a CT scan in 3 or 6 months to study the evolution of these nodules”.

Which is the treatment?

The treatment to follow will depend on its size:

• If the pulmonary nodule is from a size less than 5 mman annual follow-up is carried out through a CT test with contrast.

• If it is greater than 10mm, or it has been verified through some test that it grows quickly, a biopsy is performed and surgery is performed. This is a surgery that is performed under local anesthesia and in which fine needle aspiration puncture is used to remove the nodule. It can be done by thoracotomy or videothoracoscopic.

File image of the view of some lungs through a CT scan

Pulmonary nodule, is it synonymous with cancer?

Early detection plays a fundamental role. If the nodule has been detected early and is small (less than 5 mm), it is unlikely that we are dealing with a case of cancer.

On the other hand, if it grows out of control or is of a considerable size, the chances that it is not benign increase. Hence, a biopsy is always performed.

The and bronchi is the deadliest in Spain. It is the second cause of death in our country among men, with a rate of 30 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

The main risk factor for developing lung cancer is smoking, although there are other causes that may favor its development, such as exposure to radon, this being the second risk factor.

The problem is that these types of tumors, since they do not have symptoms, are detected when they are already in very advanced stages, which complicates their treatment and cure. Hence the importance of screening, as is done with other types of cancer such as colon cancer.