Lung cancer CT

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Dildar Hussain, MBBS [2]

Overview

Chest CT scan may be helpful in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Findings on CT scan suggestive of lung cancer include, a solitary pulmonary nodule, centrally located masses, mediastinal invasion

CT scans help stage the lung cancer. A CT scan of the abdomen and brain can help visualize the common sights of metastases: adrenal glands, liver, and brain. CT scans diagnose lung cancer by providing anatomical detail to locate the tumor, demonstrating proximity to nearby structures, and deciphering whether lymph nodes are enlarged in the mediastinum.

CT Scan

• Chest CT scan may be helpful in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Findings on CT scan suggestive of lung cancer include:
  • Solitary pulmonary nodule
  • Centrally located masses
  • Mediastinal invasion
  • Peripherally situated lesions invading the chest wall
  • A ground-glass opacity
  • Consolidation
  • Mixed density or pure ground glass nodules
  • Mixed density or pure ground glass consolidation

Common radiological appearances of lung cancer. Centrally located mass with mediastinal invasion (arrow, A), peripherally situated mass abutting the pleura (arrow, B), mass with smooth, lobulated margins (arrow, C) and with spiculated, irregular margins (arrow, D), via <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F1/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.	Lung cancers with atypical radiological pattern. Squamous cell cancer presenting as a cavitating mass (arrow, A). Adenocarcinoma presenting as dense consolidation (arrow, B). Bronchoalveolar carcinoma (adenocarcinoma in situ) presenting as ground-glass opacity (arrow, C) and mixed density, solid (arrow), and ground-glass nodules (arrowhead) in D via <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F2/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Stage T1 and T2 tumors. Stage T1 tumor due to size <3 cm (arrow, A). Stage T2 endobronchial tumor (arrowhead) causing pneumonitis restricted to the upper lobe (arrow) in B. T2a tumor >3 cm but <5 cm (arrow, C). T2b tumor >5 cm but <7 cm (arrow in D) via <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F3/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.	Stage T3 tumors. T3 tumor due to size >7 cm in size (arrow, A), eroding the ribs (arrow, B), infiltrating the mediastinal pleura but not the vessels (arrow, C), and causing atelectasis of the entire lung (arrowhead, D via<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F4/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Stage T4 tumors. T4 tumor due to invasion of pulmonary artery (arrow, A), descending aorta (arrow, B), vertebral body (arrow, C), superior vena cava with thrombus (arrow, D)via<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F5/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.	Superior sulcus tumor. Axial (A) and coronal (B) CT scans show a large mass in the apex of the right lung causing destruction of the first and second ribs (arrows) with erosion of the right half of the vertebral body (arrowheads) suggestive of a superior sulcus tumor, via<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F16/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Spiral CT perfusion imaging

• Spiral CT perfusion imaging is analyzed for:
  • TDC (time density curve)

(A-H) Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma found in the apicoposterior segment of superior lobe of the left lung of a 56 year-old male. (A) Time density curve. (B-F) (original image, BF, BV, MTT, PS) typeI parametric maps, PS value is higher (30.883). (G) CD34 staining shows many immature tumor microvessels (× 200). (H) VEGF expression is strong positive (× 400) via, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2474637/figure/F6/.

(A-H) (A-H) Well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma found in the posterior basal segment of inferior lobe of the right lung of a 61-year-old male. (A) Time density curve. (B-F) (original image, BF, BV, MTT, PS) TypeII parametric maps, PS value is higher (27.051). (G) CD34 staining shows many immature tumor microvessels (× 200). (H) VEGF expression is strong positive (× 400). via, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2474637/figure/F3/.

• • Perfusion parametric maps
  • The respective perfusion parameters.
• Immunohistochemical findings of MVD (microvessel density) measurement and VEGF expression was evaluated.

It provided not only a non-invasive method of quantitative assessment for blood flow patterns of peripheral pulmonary nodules but also an applicable diagnostic method for peripheral pulmonary nodules.

CT Findings of Metastatic disease

• CT scans help stage the lung cancer. A CT scan of the abdomen and brain can help visualize the common sights of metastases: adrenal glands, liver, and brain.
• The benefits of CT Scans in lung cancer patients are the following:
  • Provides anatomical detail to locate the tumor
  • Demonstrates proximity to nearby structures
  • Deciphers whether lymph nodes are enlarged in the mediastinum

Metastatic disease. Bilateral pleural effusions-M1a (arrow, A), lung metastases-M1a (arrows, B), adrenal metastasis-M1b (arrow, C), vertebral metastasis-M1b (arrow, D), brain metastasis-M1b (arrow, E), liver metastases-M1b (arrows, F)via<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F10/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Adrenal adenoma versus metastasis. Enhancing solid adrenal nodule on CT scan in a case of lung cancer (arrow, A) suggestive of metastatic deposit. Unenhanced CT scan shows fatty attenuation within the nodule with an HU value of 0 suggesting the possibility of an adenoma (arrow, B). FDG PET/CT shows no tracer concentration in the nodule, confirming the diagnosis of adenoma. Enhancing solid adrenal nodule on CT scan in another patient of lung cancer (arrow, D), which is indeterminate in nature. FDG PET/CT shows abnormal focal tracer concentration in the nodule (arrow, E) highly suggestive of a metastatic deposit via<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F11/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Brain metastases in asymptomatic patient, CT scan versus MRI. MRI brain in a patient of lung cancer shows multiple tiny enhancing foci scattered in the parenchyma bilaterally (arrows in A and B) suggestive of metastatic lesions. Corresponding contrast CT scan sections of the brain show no obvious lesions (C and D). Note the beam hardening effects due to bone, leading to a loss of resolution on the CT images (C and D)via<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419420/figure/F12/>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

• Unfortunately, research has shown that there are a number of false positives associated with CT scanning because a CT scan on its own cannot determine malignancy.
• A positive result for a tumor using a CT scan is typically followed up with a biopsy for confirmation.

References

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