Utility of low-dose helical CT as a second step after plain chest radiography for mass screening for lung cancer.
We evaluated the usefulness of low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) as a routine second step in patients screened for lung cancer with plain chest radiography (PCR). Of 5,437 people who underwent mass screening for lung cancer by PCR, further work-up was required for 230 because of abnormal findings. Of 221 subjects who had CT as a second step, abnormal shadows were detected in 110 and no abnormal shadows were seen in 111. Screening CT (helical scan; beam collination, 10 mm; pitch of 2:20 mm/s; and tube current, 50 mA) detected 17 lung cancers, 87 benign lesions, and 6 extrapulmonary lesions, with an average diameter of 10 mm (range, 2-35 mm). All lung cancers were peripheral (12 stage I, 4 stage IIIA, and 1 stage IV). In 40% of screened subjects, 37 with benign lesions and 7 with lung cancer (6 stage I), lesions were delineated only by screening CT. In conclusion, low-dose helical CT was found to be useful as a second step in patients who have been screened for lung cancer by PCR and can delineate the early stage of lung cancer.
Mori
K
K
Department of Thoracic Diseases, Tochigi Cancer Center, Utsunomiya City, Japan.
Tominaga
K
K
Hirose
T
T
Sasagawa
M
M
Yokoyama
K
K
Moriyama
N
N
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002282:Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008400:Mass Chest X-Ray / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*