Points of interest for radiologists screening for lung cancer

When screening for lung cancer, the type and position of the nodule offer important information, as do the size of the nodule including volume, benign or malignant features, and its growth pattern. Nevertheless, nodules may be missed for which there are many reasons.

Dr Michael Brun Andersen (Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark) pointed out that assessment of CT scans is highly dependent on the observer. “Obviously: the more observers (radiologists), the higher the variability. Sensitivity in detecting 5 mm indeterminate pulmonary nodules at 1 mm slices ranges from 30 to 73%. Double readings, computer-aided diagnosis programs, minimisation of disturbance and subspecialty all increase the quality and focus of the radiologist,” Dr Andersen explained [1]. He briefly discussed the Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS) which is a classification system aimed at standardising follow-up and management decisions in low-dose CT screening exams for lung cancer [2,3].

1. Rubin GD, et al. Radiology. 2015 Jan;274(1):276-86.
2. ACR. Lung-RADS version 1.1. https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/RADS/Lung-RADS/LungRADSAssessmentCategoriesv1-1.pdf
3. Andersen MB. Lung cancer screening from radiologist’s perspective. Nordic Lung Congress 2022, 01–03 June, Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

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Posted on 17 August, 202217 August, 2022