ArticleCureus2026
The "Galaxy Sign" in Lung Cancer Screening: A Benign Mimic of Malignancy.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The "galaxy sign" is a distinctive radiologic pattern characterized by a central confluent pulmonary opacity surrounded by smaller satellite nodules, most commonly associated with sarcoidosis, among other granulomatous and inflammatory conditions. Recognition of this finding is important in lung cancer screening populations, where indeterminate nodules may prompt concern for malignancy. A 69-year-old ex-smoker underwent low-dose CT screening, which demonstrated a 60 mm cluster of dense nodules with a central 20 mm focus in the left upper lobe. Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET showed mild uptake (SUVmax 3.1) within the lesion and symmetrical, FDG-avid mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy (SUVmax 12.5). Endobronchial ultrasound-guided biopsy of a mediastinal lymph node revealed fibrosis and burnt-out granulomatous inflammation without malignancy or infection. Correlation of imaging and histology supported pulmonary sarcoidosis. Awareness of the galaxy sign may help distinguish benign granulomatous disease from malignancy in screening cohorts and guide appropriate multidisciplinary management.
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