title: Usefulness of low-dose spiral CT of the chest in regular follow-up of postoperative non-small cell lung cancer patients: Preliminary report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is no consensus for the best postoperative follow-up in patients after complete resection of non-small cell lung cancer. Low-dose computed tomography of chest proves valuable in screening primary lung cancer and may be a useful tool in postoperative surveillance.
  
  
  METHODS
  In part 1, 30 patients who underwent surgical resection of non-small cell lung cancer and were at the first (n = 14), second (n = 9), or fifth (n = 7) annual postoperative surveillance were selected chronologically and subjected to chest radiography, low-dose computed tomography, and standard-dose computed tomography to verify the diagnostic accuracy of low-dose computed tomography. In part 2, 43 patients were prospectively enrolled and followed up regularly after complete resection of non-small cell lung cancer. The follow-up protocol included physical examination, sputum cytology, serum carcinoembryonic antigen, chest radiography, and low-dose computed tomography every 3 months in the first 2 years postoperatively until tumor recurrence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In part 1, tumor recurrence was detected by standard-dose computed tomography in 7 cases. Low-dose computed tomography and chest radiography missed 1 and 5 of 7 cases, respectively. In part 2, tumor recurrence was found in 14 cases with 19 metastatic sites. Thirteen of the 14 (92.9%) cases were detected by scheduled visiting and 11 (78.6%) detected by low-dose computed tomography including the 7 without symptoms. Of the 19 recurrent sites found in 14 patients, 11 ones (57.9%) were detected by low-dose computed tomography.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low-dose computed tomography may be of considerable value in early detection of tumor recurrence in postoperative non-small cell lung cancer patients. Further large prospective studies are needed to verify this issue.
authors.affiliation: Chest Department, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chao-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Ming-Sheng
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Chern
authors.forename: Mei-Han
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wen-Hu
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Yu-Chung
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Min-Hsiung
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shi-Chuan
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed