Table 1 The demographic and characteristics of benign and malignant nodules according to the size
Total population n (%) n = 288 (100%) | Nodule ≤ 8 mm, n (%) n = 188 (65%) | p-value | Nodule > 8 mm, n (%) n = 100 (35%) | p-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benign (size stability on CT Scan) n = 186 (64%) | Malignant (biopsy proven) n = 2 (1%) | Benign (size stability on CT Scan) n = 53 (18%) Biopsy n = 22 (8%) | Malignant (biopsy proven) n = 25 (9%) | |||
Age, median (IQR) | 66 (16) | 70 (–) | 0.460b | 66 (16) | 72 (12) | 0.024b |
Gender | ||||||
Male | 87 (98.9) | 1 (1.1) | 0.718a | 43 (78.2) | 12 (21.8) | 0.417 |
Female | 99 (99.0) | 1 (1.0) | 32 (71.1) | 13 (28.9) | ||
Ethnicity | ||||||
Malay | 93 (100.0) | 0 | 0.312 | 36 (72.0) | 14 (28.0) | 0.487 |
Chinese | 66 (97.1) | 2 (2.9) | 36 (80.0) | 9 (20.0) | ||
Indian | 24 (100.0) | 0 | 3 (60.0) | 2 (40.0) | ||
Others | 3 (100.0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Marital | ||||||
Single | 13 (92.9) | 1 (7.1) | 0.069 | 8 (100.0) | 0 | 0.186 |
Married | 165 (99.4) | 1 (0.6) | 64 (73.6) | 23 (26.4) | ||
Divorced/Widowed | 8 (100.0) | 0 | 3 (60.0) | 2 (40.0) | ||
Education | ||||||
Primary education | 48 (100.0) | 0 | 0.740 | 24 (68.6) | 11 (31.4) | 0.558 |
Secondary education | 93 (97.9) | 2 (2.1) | 31 (73.8) | 11 (26.2) | ||
Certificate | 9 (100.0) | 0 | 2 (100.0) | 0 | ||
Tertiary education | 34 (100.0) | 0 | 16 (84.2) | 3 (15.8) | ||
No education | 2 (100.0) | 0 | 2 (100.0) | 0 | ||
Smoking | ||||||
Active smoker | 14 (100.0) | 0 | 0.606 | 10 (90.9) | 1 (9.1) | 0.613 |
Non-smoker | 136 (99.3) | 1 (0.7) | 50 (72.5) | 19 (27.5) | ||
Ex-smoker | ||||||
Stop < 15 years | 7 (100.0) | 0 | 4 (80.0) | 1 (20.0) | ||
Stop > 15 years | 29 (96.7) | 1 (3.3) | 11 (73.3) | 4 (26.7) | ||
Heavy alcohol* | ||||||
Yes | 2 (100.0) | 0 | 0.979a | 0 | 0 | – |
No | 184 (98.9) | 2 (1.1) | 75 (75.0) | 25 (25.0) | ||
Occupations | ||||||
Professionals | 19 (100.0) | 0 | 0.656 | 7 (87.5) | 1 (12.5) | 0.238 |
Technicians | 7 (100.0) | 0 | 3 (75.0) | 1 (25.0) | ||
Clerks | 18 (100.0) | 0 | 7 (50.0) | 7 (50.0) | ||
Service and sales workers | 41 (95.3) | 2 (4.7) | 16 (84.2) | 3 (15.8) | ||
Skilled agricultural, Forestry/ fishery workers | 3 (100.0) | 0 | 1 (100.0) | 0 | ||
Craft and related trade workers | 20 (100.0) | 0 | 9 (69.2) | 4 (30.8) | ||
Plant and machine operators and assemblers | 5 (100.0) | 0 | 3 (60.0) | 2 (40.0) | ||
Elementary occupation | 16 (100.0) | 0 | 11 (100.0) | 0 | ||
Housewife | 55 (100.0) | 0 | 17 (70.8) | 7 (29.2) | ||
Student | 2 (100.0) | 0 | 1 (100.0) | 0 | ||
Family history of lung malignancy, | ||||||
Yes | 2 (100.0) | 0 | 0.979a | 2 (100.0) | 0 | 0.561a |
No | 184 (98.9) | 2 (1.1) | 73 (74.5) | 25 (25.5) | ||
Underlying/Previous history of tuberculosis | ||||||
Yes | 29 (100) | 0 | 0.715a | 27 (93.1) | 2 (6.9) | 0.008 |
No | 157 (98.7) | 2 (1.3) | 48 (67.6) | 23 (32.4) | ||
Underlying/Previous history of extrathoracic malignancy | ||||||
Yes | 66 (100.0) | 0 | 0.420a | 15 (83.3) | 3 (16.7) | 0.367 |
No | 120 (98.4) | 2 (1.6) | 60 (73.2) | 22 (26.8) | ||
Underlying Chronic lung disease# | ||||||
Yes | 34 (100.0) | 0 | 0.670a | 13 (86.7) | 2 (13.3) | 0.214a |
No | 152 (98.7) | 2 (1.3) | 62 (72.9) | 23 (27.1) | ||
Outcome | ||||||
Alive | 171 (98.8) | 2 (1.2) | 0.846a | 67 (76.1) | 21 (23.9) | 0.347a |
Death | 15 (100) | 0 | 8 (66.7) | 4 (33.3) | ||
PET | ||||||
Yes | 3 (100.0) | 0 | 0.968a | 7 (50.0) | 7 (50.0) | 0.027a |
No | 183 (98.9) | 2 (1.1) | 68 (79.1) | 18 (20.9) | ||
Location | ||||||
Upper lobe | 82 (100.0) | 0 | 0.240 | 43 (79.6) | 11 (20.4) | 0.449 |
Middle lobe | 26 (100.0) | 0 | 5 (62.5) | 3 (37.5) | ||
Lower lobe | 59 (96.7) | 2 (3.3) | 27 (71.1) | 11 (28.9) | ||
All lobes | 19 (100.0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Multiplicity | ||||||
Single nodule | 36 (100.0) | 0 | 0.653a | 18 (78.3) | 5 (21.7) | 0.681 |
Multiple nodules | 150 (98.7) | 2 (1.3) | 57 (74.0) | 20 (26.0) | ||
Density | ||||||
Solid | 174 (98.9) | 2 (1.1) | 0.933 | 70 (73.7) | 25 (26.3) | 0.625 |
Subsolid | 12 (100.0) | 0 | 5 (100.0) | 0 | ||
Presence of calcification | ||||||
Yes | 41 (97.6) | 1 (2.4) | 0.398a | 12 (92.3) | 1 (7.7) | 0.110a |
No | 145 (99.3) | 1 (0.7) | 63 (72.4) | 24 (27.6) | ||
Presence of spiculation | ||||||
Yes | 2 (66.7) | 1 (33.3) | < 0.001 | 18 (60.0) | 12 (40.0) | 0.023 |
No | 184 (99.5) | 1 (0.50) | 57 (81.4) | 13 (18.6) | ||
Emphysema | ||||||
Yes | 10 (90.9) | 1 (9.1) | 0.007 | 4 (80.0) | 1 (20.0) | 0.633a |
No | 176 (99.4) | 1 (0.6) | 71 (74.4) | 24 (25.3) | ||
Probability of malignancy ¶ | ||||||
Low (< 5%) | 184 (98.9) | 2 (1.1) | 0.979a | 8 (100.0) | 0 | 0.234 |
Intermediate(5–65%) | 2 (100.0) | 0 | 64 (72.7) | 24 (27.3) | ||
High (> 65%) | – | – | 3 (75.0) | 1 (25.0) | ||