title: Incidental detection of cancers and other non-cardiac abnormalities on coronary multislice computed tomography.
abstract: The investigators prospectively examined 625 consecutive patients who underwent coronary multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and evaluated the presence or absence of cancers and other noncardiac abnormalities on the original transverse sectional images of MSCT. Eight patients with known cancers were excluded from the analysis. The remaining 617 patients (344 men, 273 women; mean age 66 +/- 12 years) were analyzed. Cancers were found in 7 patients (1.13%) on the multislice computed tomographic images, including 4 lung cancers (0.65%), 2 thyroid cancers (0.32%), and 1 hepatic cancer (0.16%). In addition, nonmalignant abnormalities (nodules, tumors, or lymphadenopathies) were also found in 142 patients (23.01%), consisting of 58 postinflammatory lung nodules (9.40%), 49 hepatic cysts or hemangiomas (7.94%), 18 benign thyroid tumors (2.92%), 12 mediastinal lymphadenopathies (1.94%), 4 benign mammary gland tumors (0.65%), and 1 esophageal submucosal tumor (0.16%). In conclusion, cancers and other noncardiac abnormalities are often found in patients who undergo coronary MSCT for suspected CAD. Because patients who undergo coronary MSCT for suspected CAD are mostly elderly and therefore may have unrecognized cancers or other noncardiac abnormalities, care should thus be taken not to overlook these abnormalities when analyzing the multislice computed tomographic images.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Oita University, Yufu, Japan. yoshi@oita-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Yukie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinozaki
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zaizen
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kadota
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods