{
  "abstract": "Current clinical guidelines recommend conservative surveillance for 3-6 mm small solid pulmonary nodules (PNs), which may overlook a high-growth-risk subgroup. This study aimed to investigate independent risk factors for volume growth of small solid PNs and identify high-growth-risk subgroups. This single-center retrospective case-control study enrolled patients with solid PNs (3 to <6 mm) who underwent chest computed tomography (CT) between January 2010 and December 2025. The growth group included nodules with volume increase >25% during follow-up; the stable group included nodules with volume change ≤25% over ≥5 years. Clinical characteristics and CT features were compared. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for growth. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the discriminatory ability of the multivariate regression model. A total of 175 patients were included, with 83 in the growth group and 92 in the stable group. Multivariate logistic regression identified coexistent emphysema [odds ratio (OR) =5.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37-21.68, P=0.02], irregular shape (OR =3.05, 95% CI: 1.26-7.40, P=0.01), and pleural retraction (OR =4.99, 95% CI: 1.20-20.82, P=0.03) as independent risk factors for nodule growth. ROC curve analysis showed that the multivariate model achieved acceptable discriminatory performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.73-0.87). Among growth group cases, the median volume doubling time (VDT) was 364 days [interquartile range (IQR): 172-1,002 days]. Among the 28 nodules that underwent resection or biopsy, 75.0% (21/28) were malignant, whereas the remaining 25.0% (7/28) were benign. Emphysema, irregular shape, and pleural retraction are independent risk factors for growth in small solid PNs. Shortened CT surveillance intervals may be considered for patients with these high-risk signs. Given the single-center retrospective design without external validation, prospective multicenter verification is required for validation of this strategy.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ya-Ni Duan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xue Lin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jun-Zhe Wen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yan-Qiu Zhu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiu-Zhen Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhi-Ying Yan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yue-Fei Guo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jie Qin",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0550-457X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6x9r54j7c7e1e.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.21037/qims-2026-1165",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13743327",
  "id": "6x9r54j7c7e1e",
  "issns": [
    "2223-4292",
    "2223-4306"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997774",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2740|Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223231386",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13743327?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13743327",
  "pmid": "42997774",
  "published": "2026-09-30",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6x9r54j7c7e1e.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T15:20:41Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42997774",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42997774"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:2741|Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications",
      "subfield": "imaging"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Risk factors for growth of small solid pulmonary nodules: a single-center retrospective case-control study.",
  "title_text": "Risk factors for growth of small solid pulmonary nodules: a single-center retrospective case-control study.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T15:20:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6x9r54j7c7e1e",
  "venue": "Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery",
  "versions": []
}