Mayo Clinic SPN Malignancy Risk

Mayo Clinic solitary-pulmonary-nodule model (Swensen 1997): estimates malignancy probability from age, diameter, smoking, prior cancer, spiculation, and upper-lobe location.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Age
51
Nodule diameter
12
Current or former smoker
Yes
Spiculation on CT
Yes
Upper-lobe location
Yes

Result: Mayo malignancy probability 33.4% -- intermediate pretest probability (5-65%).

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

Pretest
a pragmatic framing reads < 5% as low, 5-65% as intermediate, and > 65% as high probability of malignancy.

What you enter

  • Age (years)
  • Nodule diameter (mm)
  • Current or former smoker
  • History of extrathoracic cancer (> 5 years prior)
  • Spiculation on CT
  • Upper-lobe location
How this is calculated
Model
a logistic estimate -- age, smoking, prior extrathoracic cancer > 5 years, nodule diameter, spiculation, and upper-lobe location -- as probability = e^x/(1+e^x).

Swensen SJ, Silverstein MD, Ilstrup DM, Schleck CD, Edell ES. The probability of malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules. Application to small radiologically indeterminate nodules. Arch Intern Med. 1997;157(8):849-855. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

Browse all tools

Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.