Radiology, Vol 193, 795-800, Copyright © 1994 by Radiological Society of North America

ARTICLES

Bronchogenic carcinoma: utility of CT in the evaluation of patients with suspected lesions

SL Primack, KS Lee, PM Logan, RR Miller and NL Muller
Department of Radiology, Vancouver Hospital, British Columbia, Canada.

PURPOSE: To assess the utility of computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation of suspected bronchogenic carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT scans were reviewed of 362 patients who had undergone CT for suspected bronchogenic carcinoma. RESULTS: CT findings of 275 patients were consistent with bronchogenic carcinoma. Sixty-five tumors were deemed unresectable on the basis of CT findings, 21 were deemed unresectable on the basis of CT findings and poor surgical risk, 26 proved to be benign, six were metastatic disease from an extrathoracic primary tumor, and 157 were potentially resectable bronchogenic carcinoma. Surgical mediastinal nodal sampling enabled documentation of metastases in 60 of 159 patients. According to nodal station, the sensitivity of CT for metastases was 67% for nodes measured in the long axis and 58% for nodes measured in the short axis; specificity was 56% and 86%, respectively. CONCLUSION: CT can be used to confirm or exclude the presence of bronchogenic carcinoma and to obviate thoracotomy. The specificity of CT is limited, and a histologic diagnosis or follow-up evaluation is necessary. CT has limited value in staging mediastinal lymph nodes.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. A. Silvestri, M. K. Gould, M. L. Margolis, L. T. Tanoue, D. McCrory, E. Toloza, and F. Detterbeck Noninvasive Staging of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: ACCP Evidenced-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (2nd Edition) Chest, September 1, 2007; 132(3_suppl): 178S - 201S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. J. Jeong, C. A. Yi, and K. S. Lee Solitary Pulmonary Nodules: Detection, Characterization, and Guidance for Further Diagnostic Workup and Treatment Am. J. Roentgenol., January 1, 2007; 188(1): 57 - 68. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B.-T. Kim, K. S. Lee, S. S. Shim, J. Y. Choi, O J. Kwon, H. Kim, Y. M. Shim, J. Kim, and S. Kim Stage T1 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Preoperative Mediastinal Nodal Staging with Integrated FDG PET/CT--A Prospective Study Radiology, November 1, 2006; 241(2): 501 - 509. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Castaner, X. Gallardo, J. Rimola, Y. Pallardo, J. M. Mata, J. Perendreu, C. Martin, and D. Gil Congenital and acquired pulmonary artery anomalies in the adult: radiologic overview. RadioGraphics, March 1, 2006; 26(2): 349 - 371. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. S. Shim, K. S. Lee, B.-T. Kim, M. J. Chung, E. J. Lee, J. Han, J. Y. Choi, O J. Kwon, Y. M. Shim, and S. Kim Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Prospective Comparison of Integrated FDG PET/CT and CT Alone for Preoperative Staging Radiology, September 1, 2005; 236(3): 1011 - 1019. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. S. Lee, Y. J. Jeong, J. Han, B.-T. Kim, H. Kim, and O J. Kwon T1 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Imaging and Histopathologic Findings and Their Prognostic Implications RadioGraphics, November 1, 2004; 24(6): 1617 - 1636. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. K. Gould, W. G. Kuschner, C. E. Rydzak, C. C. Maclean, A. N. Demas, H. Shigemitsu, J. K. Chan, and D. K. Owens Test Performance of Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography for Mediastinal Staging in Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis Ann Intern Med, December 2, 2003; 139(11): 879 - 892. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. M. Toloza, L. Harpole, and D. C. McCrory Noninvasive Staging of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Review of the Current Evidence Chest, January 1, 2003; 123(1_suppl): 137S - 146S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.A. Verschakelen, J. Bogaert, and W. De Wever Computed tomography in staging for lung cancer Eur. Respir. J., February 1, 2002; 19(35_suppl): 40S - 48s. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Laroche, I. Fairbairn, H. Moss, J. Pepke-Zaba, L. Sharples, C. Flower, and R. Coulden Role of computed tomographic scanning of the thorax prior to bronchoscopy in the investigation of suspected lung cancer Thorax, May 1, 2000; 55(5): 359 - 363. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. Kosuda, K. Ichihara, M. Watanabe, H. Kobayashi, and S. Kusano Decision-Tree Sensitivity Analysis for Cost-Effectiveness of Chest 2-Fluoro-2-D-[18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in Patients With Pulmonary Nodules (Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma) in Japan Chest, February 1, 2000; 117(2): 346 - 353. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. A. Dwamena, S. S. Sonnad, J. O. Angobaldo, and R. L. Wahl Metastases from Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Mediastinal Staging in the 1990s-Meta-analytic Comparison Of PET and CT Radiology, November 1, 1999; 213(2): 530 - 536. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. F. Patz Jr, J. J. Erasmus, H. P. McAdams, J. E. Connolly, E. M. Marom, P. C. Goodman, R. A. Leder, M. T. Keogan, and J. E. Herndon Lung Cancer Staging and Management: Comparison of Contrast-enhanced and Nonenhanced Helical CT of the Thorax Radiology, July 1, 1999; 212(1): 56 - 60. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				W. J. Scott, J. Shepherd, and S. S. Gambhir Cost-effectiveness of FDG-PET for staging non-small cell lung cancer: a decision analysis Ann. Thorac. Surg., December 1, 1998; 66(6): 1876 - 1883. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]