title: [Critical remarks on computer tomography of the chest in the staging of bronchial cancer].
abstract: The planning of treatment in patients with non-oat cell carcinoma of the lung requires an extensive diagnostic work-up. As far as TN-staging is concerned, the role of CT is controversial. On the basis of 25 operated and histologically proven cases of non-oat cell cancer of the lung, the results of both CT and conventional radiography are critically evaluated. In the present study CT is found to be more sensitive but not more specific than conventional radiography in detecting pleural invasion and regional, especially mediastinal, lymphnode metastases. These results are in accordance with those of others. Since both modalities follow the same diagnostic criteria (lymphnode size, contact to pleura), an increase in sensitivity is intimately related to a corresponding loss of specificity. The relatively high sensitivity of CT on the one hand, and the relatively high specificity of conventional radiography on the other hand, suggest the following procedure: if conventional radiography is definitely positive, additional CT can be omitted. If CT proves negative as well, the presence of mediastinal metastases or pleural invasion is very unlikely. Positive findings on CT, however, need histologic verification.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
vernacular_title: Kritische Bemerkungen zur thorakalen Computertomographie beim Staging des Bronchuskarzinoms.