title: Sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography for the detection of adrenal metastatic lesions among 91 autopsied lung cancer patients.
abstract: The ability of computed tomography (CT) to detect metastatic lesions in adrenal glands was evaluated on 91 autopsied lung cancer patients who died in 11 hospitals in the eastern United States and Canada from January 1983 to February 1988. Abdominal CT scans within 90 days of death were reviewed twice by two radiologists blinded to the autopsy diagnosis. The likelihood of metastatic spread in each adrenal gland was scored on a five-level scale. Histopathologic findings at autopsy were used to establish the presence or absence of metastases. The sensitivity of CT was low. Among 53 adrenal glands with proven metastatic lesions, the proportion with positive CT scans varied from 20.0% to 41.1%, according to the positivity threshold. In contrast, the specificity of CT was high, even at relaxed positivity thresholds, from 84.5% to 99.4%. The relatively low sensitivity of CT to detect adrenal metastatic lesions is explained to a large extent by the lack of substantial structural changes in many adrenal glands found to have metastases at autopsy. With a strongly positive CT scan, the probability of an adrenal metastatic lesion is high, and confirmatory adrenal biopsy may not be needed in patients with adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Allard
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Yankaskas
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Halvorsen
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D001344:Autopsy; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed