Computed Tomography Imaging Analysis of Resected Lung Cancers Detected by Computed Tomography

Thirty cases of resected peripheral lung cancer detected only by computed tomography (CT) were examined retrospectively to evaluate their clinical features and roentgenop athological correlations. The 30 cases comprised 16 males and 14 females with a median age of 66 (range 39-79) years. Abnormal shadows were detected in five due to some complaints, eight under observation and the remainder by CT screening. The CT images were classified into groups the air density type with obscure margins and the solid density type with clear margins. The reasons why the primary tumors were overlooked on plain chest X-ray images were that the former had vague lesions and the latter were located in the paramediastinal area or behind the ribs. Pathological evaluation showed stage I in 25 cases (83%), notably in 21 cases of the air density type. We conclude that CT is more useful than a plain chest X-ray for early detection of lung cancer. Chest CT examinations can therefore be expected to be useful in screening for lung cancer.