Bronchogenic carcinoma metastatic to normal-sized lymph nodes: frequency and significance.
CT staging of mediastinal lymph node metastases from bronchogenic carcinoma is a subject of considerable controversy. The frequency of metastases to normal-sized lymph nodes is a critical issue related to the sensitivity of CT. The authors prospectively examined 42 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma with CT; in 39, careful surgical-pathologic correlation of mediastinal lymph node status was possible. Only 7% had metastases limited to mediastinal lymph nodes that were normal-sized at CT. This reflected a low overall frequency of metastases to normal-sized nodes and several diagnostic factors that converted potentially false-negative studies into true-positive CT studies. In this small series, metastases to enlarged nodes were more likely to have extracapsular spread of tumor, a poor prognostic factor. Overall, the authors do not consider metastases to normal-sized mediastinal lymph nodes to be a major problem in CT staging of non-small cell lung cancer.
Gross
B H
BH
Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor.
Glazer
G M
GM
Orringer
M B
MB
Spizarny
D L
DL
Flint
A
A
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000556:secondary*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed