Hello, this is my first post here.
My dad (74) gets a CT screening for lung cancer every year because he is a former smoker who quit 15 years ago. This year, the radiologist's report noted "Moderate upper lobe predominant pulmonary emphysema." We compared previous reports going back to 2021 and saw moderate emphysema was first noted in 2025 (no mention of any emphysema before that), but his primary care doctor did not bring it to his attention at that time.
He had a PFT two years ago (prior to the emphysema finding) which was normal. He does regular vigorous cardio exercise, and has no shortness of breath nor any other symptoms.
He has an upcoming appointment with a pulmonologist to discuss the emphysema finding and what it means, but has so much anxiety while waiting. I expect the pulmonologist will order another PFT, and I honestly expect it to be normal or near-normal. The question that is keeping both of us awake at night is:
--Does emphysema seen on CT (described by the radiologist as moderate) always eventually progress, if the PFT is normal and there are no symptoms? If so, how fast or slow is this progression typically?
We are grateful for any input to help us understand this while we wait for his appointment. Thank you all for being here.