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.

General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery

Lymph Node Excision; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Humans; Middle Aged; Male; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules - diagnostic imaging; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule - diagnostic imaging; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule - surgery; Adult; Female; Lung Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Lung Neoplasms - surgery; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules - surgery; Index Medicus; Screening; Diagnosis; Ground-glass nodule; Staging; Lung cancer

MEDLINE; Medline Complete; MEDLINE with Full Text; PubMed; MEDLINE (Ovid); CrossRef; MEDLINE - Academic