CT features of peripheral pulmonary carcinoid tumors

Diagnostic Anatomic Imaging for Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Maximizing Strengths and Mitigating Weaknesses

ABSTRACT

Neuroendocrine neoplasms are a heterogeneous group of gastrointestinal and lung tumors. Their diverse clinical manifestations, variable locations, and heterogeneity present notable diagnostic challenges. This article delves into the imaging modalities vital for their detection and characterization. Computed tomography is essential for initial assessment and staging. At the same time, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is particularly adept for liver, pancreatic, osseous, and rectal imaging, offering superior soft tissue contrast. The article also highlights the limitations of these imaging techniques, such as MRI's inability to effectively evaluate the cortical bone and the questioned cost-effectiveness of computed tomography and MRI for detecting specific gastric lesions. By emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses of these imaging techniques, the review offers insights into optimizing their utilization for improved diagnosis, staging, and therapeutic management of neuroendocrine neoplasms.

CT-based radiomics for differentiating peripherally located pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma from carcinoid

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma (PSP) and pulmonary carcinoid (PC) are difficult to distinguish based on conventional imaging examinations. In recent years, radiomics has been used to discriminate benign from malignant pulmonary lesions. However, the value of radiomics based on computed tomography (CT) images to differentiate PSP from PC has not been well explored.

PURPOSE

We aimed to investigate the feasibility of radiomics in the differentiation between PSP and PC.

METHODS

Fifty-three PSP and fifty-five PC were retrospectively enrolled and then were randomly divided into the training and test sets. Univariate and multivariable logistic analyses were carried to select clinical predictor related to differential diagnosis of PSP and PC. A total of 1316 radiomics features were extracted from the unenhanced CT (UECT) and contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) images, respectively. The minimum redundancy maximum relevance and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator were used to select the most significant radiomics features to construct radiomics models. The clinical predictor and radiomics features were integrated to develop combined models. Two senior radiologists independently categorized each patient into PSP or PC group based on traditional CT method. The performances of clinical, radiomics, and combined models in differentiating PSP from PC were investigated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The diagnostic performance was also compared between the combined models and radiologists.

RESULTS

In regard to differentiating PSP from PC, the area under the curves (AUCs) of the clinical, radiomics, and combined models were 0.87, 0.96, and 0.99 in the training set UECT, and were 0.87, 0.97, and 0.98 in the training set CECT, respectively. The AUCs of the clinical, radiomics, and combined models were 0.84, 0.92, and 0.97 in the test set UECT, and were 0.84, 0.93, and 0.98 in the test set CECT, respectively. In regard to the differentiation between PSP and PC, the combined model was comparable to the radiomics model, but outperformed the clinical model and the two radiologists, whether in the test set UECT or CECT.

CONCLUSIONS

Radiomics approaches show promise in distinguishing between PSP and PC. Moreover, the integration of clinical predictor (gender) has the potential to enhance the diagnostic performance even further.

2021 WHO Classification of Lung Cancer: Molecular Biology Research and Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation

The 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) classification system for thoracic tumors (including lung cancer) contains several updates to the 2015 edition. Revisions for lung cancer include a new grading system for invasive nonmucinous adenocarcinoma that better reflects prognosis, reorganization of squamous cell carcinomas and neuroendocrine neoplasms, and description of some new entities. Moreover, remarkable advancements in our knowledge of genetic mutations and targeted therapies have led to a much greater emphasis on genetic testing than that in 2015. In 2015, guidelines recommended evaluation of only two driver mutations, ie, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusions, in patients with nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer. The 2021 guidelines recommend testing for numerous additional gene mutations for which targeted therapies are now available including ROS1, RET, NTRK1-3, KRAS, BRAF, and MET. The correlation of imaging features and genetic mutations is being studied. Testing for the immune biomarker programmed death ligand 1 is now recommended before starting first-line therapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Because 70% of lung cancers are unresectable at patient presentation, diagnosis of lung cancer is usually based on small diagnostic samples (ie, biopsy specimens) rather than surgical resection specimens. The 2021 version emphasizes differences in the histopathologic interpretation of small diagnostic samples and resection specimens. Radiologists play a key role not only in evaluation of tumor and metastatic disease but also in identification of optimal biopsy targets. ©RSNA, 2024 Test Your Knowledge questions in the supplemental material and the slide presentation from the RSNA Annual Meeting are available for this article.

Reply to Perrella et al. Coming Back to the Basics. Comment on "Cangir et al. A CT-Based Radiomic Signature for the Differentiation of Pulmonary Hamartomas from Carcinoid Tumors. Diagnostics 2022, 12, 416"

We thank to Dr. Perrella and and his fellow authors for your kind letter and thoughtful comments [...].

Lung Carcinoids: A Comprehensive Review for Clinicians

Lung carcinoids are neuroendocrine tumors, categorized as typical or atypical carcinoids based on their histological appearance. While most of these tumors are slow-growing neoplasms, they still possess malignant potential. Many patients are diagnosed incidentally on chest X-rays or CT scans. Presenting symptoms include cough, hemoptysis, wheezing, dyspnea, and recurrent pneumonia. Endocrine symptoms, such as carcinoid syndrome or ectopic Cushing's syndrome, are rare. Surgery is the primary treatment and should be considered in all patients with localized disease, even when thoracic lymph node metastases are present. Patients with distant metastases may be treated with somatostatin analogues, chemotherapy, preferably temozolomide-based, mTOR inhibitors, or peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with 177Lu-DOTATATE. Most patients have an excellent prognosis. Poor prognostic factors include atypical histology and lymph node metastases at diagnosis. Long-term follow-up is mandatory since metastases may occur late.

Best imaging signs identified by radiomics could outperform the model: application to differentiating lung carcinoid tumors from atypical hamartomas

OBJECTIVES

Lung carcinoids and atypical hamartomas may be difficult to differentiate but require different treatment. The aim was to differentiate these tumors using contrast-enhanced CT semantic and radiomics criteria.

METHODS

Between November 2009 and June 2020, consecutives patient operated for hamartomas or carcinoids with contrast-enhanced chest-CT were retrospectively reviewed. Semantic criteria were recorded and radiomics features were extracted from 3D segmentations using Pyradiomics. Reproducible and non-redundant radiomics features were used to training a random forest algorithm with cross-validation. A validation-set from another institution was used to evaluate of the radiomics signature, the 3D 'median' attenuation feature (3D-median) alone and the mean value from 2D-ROIs.

RESULTS

Seventy-three patients (median 58 years [43‒70]) were analyzed (16 hamartomas; 57 carcinoids). The radiomics signature predicted hamartomas vs carcinoids on the external dataset (22 hamartomas; 32 carcinoids) with an AUC = 0.76. The 3D-median was the most important in the model. Density thresholds < 10 HU to predict hamartoma and > 60 HU to predict carcinoids were chosen for their high specificity > 0.90. On the external dataset, sensitivity and specificity of the 3D-median and 2D-ROIs were, respectively, 0.23, 1.00 and 0.13, 1.00 < 10 HU; 0.63, 0.95 and 0.69, 0.91 > 60 HU. The 3D-median was more reproducible than 2D-ROIs (ICC = 0.97 95% CI [0.95‒0.99]; bias: 3 ± 7 HU limits of agreement (LoA) [- 10‒16] vs. ICC = 0.90 95% CI [0.85‒0.94]; bias: - 0.7 ± 21 HU LoA [- 4‒40], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

A radiomics signature can distinguish hamartomas from carcinoids with an AUC = 0.76. Median density < 10 HU and > 60 HU on 3D or 2D-ROIs may be useful in clinical practice to diagnose these tumors with confidence, but 3D is more reproducible.

CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

Radiomic features help to identify the most discriminating imaging signs using random forest. 'Median' attenuation value (Hounsfield units), extracted from 3D-segmentations on contrast-enhanced chest-CTs, could distinguish carcinoids from atypical hamartomas (AUC = 0.85), was reproducible (ICC = 0.97), and generalized to an external dataset.

KEY POINTS

• 3D-'Median' was the best feature to differentiate carcinoids from atypical hamartomas (AUC = 0.85). • 3D-'Median' feature is reproducible (ICC = 0.97) and was generalized to an external dataset. • Radiomics signature from 3D-segmentations differentiated carcinoids from atypical hamartomas with an AUC = 0.76. • 2D-ROI value reached similar performance to 3D-'median' but was less reproducible (ICC = 0.90).

Imaging of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally. Imaging is essential in the screening, diagnosis, staging, response assessment, and surveillance of patients with lung cancer. Subtypes of lung cancer can have distinguishing imaging appearances. The most frequently used imaging modalities include chest radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography. Artificial intelligence algorithms and radiomics are emerging technologies with potential applications in lung cancer imaging.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Somatostatin Receptor PET Imaging and Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy

Recently, advancement of somatostatin receptor (SSTR) imaging and theragnostic approach using peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) have changed the paradigm of diagnosis and management of neuroendocrine tumor. 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT can diagnose the lung carcinoids with high SSTR expression. With combination of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT, tumor heterogeneity of lung carcinoid can be identified, which may guide optimal patient selection for PRRT. PRRT may be an effective and safe treatment of advanced lung carcinoids during progression with first-line somatostatin analog therapy. This review provides updates on the diagnosis and management of lung carcinoids, focusing on SSTR imaging and PRRT.

Pulmonary carcinoid tumour with remarkably high levels of pro-gastrin-releasing peptide: A case report

An 86-year-old woman presented with chronic cough and chest pain. Computed tomography revealed two masses in the right lower lobe of the lung accompanied by multiple lymphadenopathies and metastasis to the rib. The pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) levels were notably elevated (888 pg/mL). Based on these findings, our initial clinical diagnosis was small-cell lung cancer. However, the pathological diagnosis turned out to be an atypical carcinoid. The patient was finally treated with everolimus. Clinicians should be aware that carcinoid tumours are sometimes difficult to distinguish from small-cell lung cancer with respect to high ProGRP levels and multiple metastases.

State of the Art: Lung Cancer Staging Using Updated Imaging Modalities

Lung cancer is among the most common mortality causes worldwide. This scientific article is a comprehensive review of current knowledge regarding screening, subtyping, imaging, staging, and management of treatment response for lung cancer. The traditional imaging modality for screening and initial lung cancer diagnosis is computed tomography (CT). Recently, a dual-energy CT was proven to enhance the categorization of variable pulmonary lesions. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends usage of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) in concert with CT to properly stage lung cancer and to prevent fruitless thoracotomies. Diffusion MR is an alternative to FDG PET/CT that is radiation-free and has a comparable diagnostic performance. For response evaluation after treatment, FDG PET/CT is a potent modality which predicts survival better than CT. Updated knowledge of lung cancer genomic abnormalities and treatment regimens helps to improve the radiologists’ skills. Incorporating the radiologic experience is crucial for precise diagnosis, therapy planning, and surveillance of lung cancer.

Clinicopathological, Oncogenic, and 18F-FDG PET/CT Features of Primary Pulmonary Carcinoid in Resection Specimens

Objectives

The metabolic parameters which included mean standardised uptake value (SUVmean), metabolic tumour volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), maximum standardised uptake lean body mass (SULmax), and maximum standardised uptake body surface area (SUVbsa) have rarely been investigated in pulmonary carcinoid (PC). This study aimed to retrospectively compare the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT features of PC subtypes and observe clinicopathological and oncogenic characteristics of PC.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review in 60 patients with PC, from January 2016 to November 2021, who underwent the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scan. All the PC diagnoses were histopathologic confirmed by surgical samples. The metabolic and morphological features were obtained from ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT images. The ratio of metabolic to morphological lesion volumes (MMVR) was calculated.

Results

Sixty patients with PC were consecutively identified, including 39 patients (65.0%) with typical carcinoids (TCs) and 21 (35.0%) with atypical carcinoids (ACs). One (1/21) patient had mutation in BRAF. The ACs have a larger size (P < 0.001), more metastatic lymph nodes (P = 0.011), higher Ki-67 expression (P < 0.001), higher SUVmax values (P = 0.003), higher SUVmean values (P = 0.006), higher SULmax values (P = 0.005), higher SUVbsa values (P = 0.001), higher MTV values (P = 0.033), and higher TLG values (P = 0.002). The multivariate analysis showed that MMVR (P = 0.020) was significantly associated with AC. For predicting AC, the optimal cut-off value of SUVmax, SUVmean, SULmax, SUVbsa, MTV, TLG, and the maximum diameter was 5.19, 3.18, 2.65, 1.47, 4.36, 18.44, and 3.0, respectively. The AUC values of above mentioned parameters was 0.756 (95%CI, 0.631–881; P = 0.001), 0.735 (95%CI, 0.602–868; P = 0.003), 0.736 (95%CI, 0.607–865; P = 0.003), 0.742 (95%CI, 0.612–873; P = 0.002), 0.593 (95%CI, 0.430–755; P = 0.239), 0.680 (95%CI, 0.531–829; P = 0.022), and 0.733 (95%CI, 0.598–868; P = 0.003), respectively. For predicting TC, the optimal cut-off value of the MMVR was 0.92, and the AUC value was 0.780 (95%CI, 0.647–0.913; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT can simultaneously reveal the metabolic and morphological characteristics of PC, which is important in the differentiation for histopathologic subtypes.

A CT-Based Radiomic Signature for the Differentiation of Pulmonary Hamartomas from Carcinoid Tumors

Radiomics is a new image processing technology developed in recent years. In this study, CT radiomic features are evaluated to differentiate pulmonary hamartomas (PHs) from pulmonary carcinoid tumors (PCTs). A total of 138 patients (78 PCTs and 60 PHs) were evaluated. The Radcloud platform (Huiying Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing, China) was used for managing the data, clinical data, and subsequent radiomics analysis. Two hand-crafted radiomics models are prepared in this study: the first model includes the data regarding all of the patients to differentiate between the groups; the second model includes 78 PCTs and 38 PHs without signs of fat tissue. The separation of the training and validation datasets was performed randomly using an (8:2) ratio and 620 random seeds. The results revealed that the MLP method (RF) was best for PH (AUC = 0.999) and PCT (AUC = 0.999) for the first model (AUC = 0.836), and PC (AUC = 0.836) in the test set for the second model. Radiomics tumor features derived from CT images are useful to differentiate the carcinoid tumors from hamartomas with high accuracy. Radiomics features may be used to differentiate PHs from PCTs with high levels of accuracy, even without the presence of fat on the CT. Advances in knowledge: CT-based radiomic holds great promise for a more accurate preoperative diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs).

Differential diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in pulmonary carcinoids versus hamartomas

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE

To assess the possibility of differentiating pulmonary carcinoids from hamartomas and typical from atypical carcinoids by means of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 139 patients with pathologically proven pulmonary carcinoids and hamartomas who underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT before surgical resection. Receiver operating characteristics curves were calculated to determine the potential of SUVmax to discriminate between pulmonary carcinoids and hamartomas, typical and atypical carcinoids. The correlation between SUVmax and tumor size was analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis.

RESULTS

SUVmax was significantly higher in pulmonary carcinoids than in hamartomas (p<0.001), and also higher in atypical carcinoids than in typical carcinoids (p = 0.034). With a SUVmax of 2.0 as a cutoff, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT to differentiate pulmonary carcinoids from hamartomas were 85.3%, 82.9%, 61.7%, and 94.6%, respectively. The cutoff value of SUVmax for differentiating atypical carcinoids from typical carcinoids was 4.1. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of SUVmax was 0.900 for carcinoids and hamartomas, and 0.722 for typical and atypical carcinoids. SUVmax was correlated with maximum tumor size in pulmonary carcinoids (r = 0.658, p <0.001) and in pulmonary hamartomas (r = 0.672, p <0.001).

CONCLUSION

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT might be a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of carcinoids and hamartomas, and can also distinguish atypical from typical carcinoids. This may facilitate improved selection of patients for surgical resection and radiological follow-up.

Rarest of rare cases within the one thousand faces of atypical carcinoid: Pseudomesotheliomatous manifestation in a pregnant woman

Carcinoid tumors in pregnant women are rare, and there have been no previous studies of atypical carcinoid tumor reported in pregnancy. Also, pseudomesotheliomatous manifestation in atypical carcinoid is an extremely rare finding, there being only two cases reported. Here, we present the first case of pseudomesotheliomatous manifestation of atypical carcinoid in a pregnant woman. Upon image analysis, we found that atypical carcinoids with multiple metastatic lesions can exhibit variability in vascularity and metabolism, resulting in heterogeneous image characteristics among metastatic lesions, even those with identical histology. In addition, even with extensive metastasis, patients can exhibit good performance explained by long-standing presentation of indolent cancer.

CT Texture Analysis of Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumors-Associations with Tumor Grading and Proliferation

Texture analysis derived from computed tomography (CT) might be able to provide clinically relevant imaging biomarkers and might be associated with histopathological features in tumors. The present study sought to elucidate the possible associations between texture features derived from CT images with proliferation index Ki-67 and grading in pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors. Overall, 38 patients (n = 22 females, 58%) with a mean age of 60.8 ± 15.2 years were included into this retrospective study. The texture analysis was performed using the free available Mazda software. All tumors were histopathologically confirmed. In discrimination analysis, "S(1,1)SumEntrp" was significantly different between typical and atypical carcinoids (mean 1.74 ± 0.11 versus 1.79 ± 0.14, p = 0.007). The correlation analysis revealed a moderate positive association between Ki-67 index with the first order parameter kurtosis (r = 0.66, p = 0.001). Several other texture features were associated with the Ki-67 index, the highest correlation coefficient showed "S(4,4)InvDfMom" (r = 0.59, p = 0.004). Several texture features derived from CT were associated with the proliferation index Ki-67 and might therefore be a valuable novel biomarker in pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors. "Sumentrp" might be a promising parameter to aid in the discrimination between typical and atypical carcinoids.

Contribution of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the Differential Diagnosis of Pulmonary Hamartomas and Pulmonary Carcinoids

Objectives:

This study aimed to evaluate ¹⁸fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) findings in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary carcinoids and pulmonary hamartomas.

Methods:

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT findings of 34 patients with pulmonary carcinoids (12 atypical, 22 typical) and 32 patients with pulmonary hamartomas were retrospectively evaluated. Both mean diameter and mean maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max) of hamartomas and carcinoids were compared by Mann-Whitney U and Kruskall-Wallis H tests.

Results:

The mean longest diameter of atypical carcinoids (3.5±1.7 cm) was higher than that of hamartomas (2.1±1 cm) (p=0.038). No significant difference was found between the mean diameter of typical carcinoids and mean diameter of hamartomas (p=0.128). The mean SUV_max of atypical carcinoids (5.97±3.7) and typical carcinoids (4.22±1.7) were higher than those of hamartomas (1.65±0.9) (p=0.002 and p=0.003, respectively). There were collapse/consolidation in 55.8%, bronchiectasis or mucoid impaction in 47%, and air trapping in 14.7% in the peripheral parenchyma of the 34 carcinoids. Collapse/consolidation was detected in a patient with endobronchial hamartoma, and other finding was not found in the parenchyma around hamartomas.

Conclusion:

The ¹⁸F-FDG uptake of pulmonary carcinoids can vary from minimal to intense. ¹⁸F-FDG uptake can be seen in pulmonary hamartomas. However, the mean SUV_max of atypical carcinoids and typical carcinoids were higher compared to hamartomas. Pulmonary carcinoid must be suspected in cases with accompanying bronchial obstruction findings in the periphery of the mass.

Predicting Histology of Tracheobronchial Neoplasms: A CT Based Differentiation Model

BACKGROUND

Tracheobronchial (TB) tumors follow same pathological classification as lung neoplasms; however, some entities are known to favor airways. Distinction of pathological types is necessary for suggesting appropriate management strategy.

PURPOSE

To evaluate utility of multidetector CT (MDCT) in differentiation of primary TB tumors; and assess validity of a scoring system based on imaging biomarkers to differentiate tumor types.

METHODS

MDCT features of 45 patients were analyzed for location, shape, calcification, attenuation, parenchymal changes, bronchoceles, extraluminal extension, lymphadenopathy, metastases. The two largest groups were compared with each other and remaining entities using Chi square tests. Six-point scoring system combining the differentiating features was devised and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis performed.

RESULTS

The most frequent type was neuroendocrine tumors (NET) (51.1%), followed by salivary gland tumors (SGT) (20%); including adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) (13.3%) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) (6.7%). Comparing NETs with other entities as a whole, and independently with SGTs, significant difference was found among location (p = 0.05 and 0.001 respectively), shape (p < 0.001), calcification (p = 0.038 and 0.041 respectively), attenuation (p = 0.001 and 0.019 respectively), bronchoceles (p = 0.013 and 0.010 respectively). Significant difference was found among ACC and MEC in location (p = 0.01) and morphology (p < 0.001). On receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of the score, areas under curve for NET, SGT and ACC were 0.913, 0.872 and 0.962 respectively. Suggested cut-off values were >3.5 for carcinoid (sensitivity 70%, specificity 91%), <2.5 for SGT (sensitivity 78%, specificity 75%), <1.5 for ACC (sensitivity 83%, specificity 92%).

CONCLUSION

Use of a scoring system enables maximum diagnostic accuracy in MDCT differentiation of TB tumors.

Recent Advances in the Management of Typical and Atypical Lung Carcinoids

Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the lung represent about 20% to 30% of all neuroendocrine tumors. On the basis of clinical and pathologic characteristics, 2 different categories of tumors may be defined: poorly differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms, characterized by a high rate of recurrences and poor prognosis, and well-differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms (typical carcinoids and atypical carcinoids), which generally display an indolent course. Lung carcinoids represent only 1% to 5% of all lung malignancies, but their incidence has significantly increased over the past 30 years. Surgery is the reference standard of treatment for lung carcinoids with locoregional disease. For advanced or unresectable lung carcinoids, several therapeutic options are available, but the choice should be shared within a multidisciplinary team to ensure optimal therapeutic outcomes. We describe the current management of these rare neoplasms.

Role of CT in differentiation between subtypes of lung cancer; is it possible?

Background

Context and purpose: lung cancer is the second in the incidence rate and the first in death rate in the United States of America in 2017. Its treatment depends upon the tumor staging as well as the histological subtype of lung cancer. CT has been the modality of choice for screening as well as diagnosis of lung cancer; however, few studies tried to correlate different CT features of lung cancer to certain pathological subtypes. Our study aims to assess the CT characteristics of the subtypes of bronchogenic carcinoma.

Results

SQCC shows a higher incidence of central location compared with the rest of the lung cancers (significance level of 50%, p value of 0.5), internal cavitations (significance level of 94.9%, p value of less than 0.05) as well as more frequency of higher stage within the study population, ADC shows significant predilection to peripheral location compared with the rest of the lung cancers (significance level of 94.9%, p value of less than 0.05).

Conclusion

There is an evident correlation between the MDCT diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma and that of histopathology/cytology. The most common types are SQCC and ADC subtypes. The SQCC type of bronchial carcinoma tends to be central with the internal cavitations are common while ADC tends to be peripheral and solid.

Is it possible to discriminate pulmonary carcinoids from hamartomas based on CT features?

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the computed tomography (CT) features might be used in distinguishing pulmonary carcinoids from hamartomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ninety solid pulmonary nodules (43 carcinoids and 47 hamartomas) in 90 patients were evaluated. The following CT scan features were evaluated: size, location (peripheral/central), contour (lobulated/nodular), number of lobulation, attenuation, calcification, endobronchial status, bronchial extension and involvement, parenchymal abnormalities distal to the lesion e.g. hyperlucency, atelectasis, and nodularity. The final pathologic diagnosis of the lesions and bronchial extension were confirmed by review of histopathological specimens.

RESULTS

Out of 43 carcinoids, 37 (86%) were typical. Twenty-three carcinoids and four hamartomas were central (p < 0.001). Ten carcinoids and one hamartoma were endobronchial. The majority of tumors had lobulated contours (65% of carcinoids, 44% of hamartomas) and carcinoids tended to have more lobulations (p = 0.052). Distal nodularity (p = 0.001), distal hyperlucency (p < 0.001), and atelectasis (p = 0.005) were significantly more common in carcinoids. Carcinoids had significantly more bronchial extension and involvement (p < 0.001; respectively). In addition, a new sign that we call "bronchial triangle sign" differentiated carcinoids with a sensitivity and specificity of 84.9% (95% CI: 69,1%-93.4%) and 91% (95% CI: 79.7%-96.6%).

CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge this is the first study on discrimination of carcinoids and hamartomas. A new CT sign called "bronchial triangle sign" might be used to differentiate carcinoids from hamartomas. Distal parenchymal abnormalities are more common in carcinoids than in hamartomas.

Clinicopathological characteristics and genetic analysis of pulmonary carcinoid tumors: A single-center retrospective cohort study and literature review

Pulmonary carcinoid tumors, including typical and atypical carcinoids, are well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) that represent 1–2% of all lung cancer cases. In the present study, all cases of well-differentiated NETs diagnosed at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital (Tianjin, China) between 2006 and 2016 were reviewed, and 20 pulmonary carcinoid cases were identified. The clinical features of these cases were summarized, and the results of pathological and imaging examinations were collated. As a low-grade malignant pulmonary neoplasm, the molecular biological mechanism of pulmonary carcinoids is yet to be elucidated. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms behind pulmonary carcinoids and to determine an effective molecular targeted therapeutic strategy, next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed using tissue samples from six patients to determine additional molecular biological characteristics that may help guide targeted therapy. A total of 27 somatic mutations in 21 genes were detected. Of note, mutations in the KIT proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase, Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4, MET proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase and insulin-like growth factor 1 genes occurred in two out of six cases. Since treatments for advanced carcinoids are relatively ineffective, molecular profiling may contribute to the identification of novel treatments. In addition, the literature on mutations in pulmonary carcinoids was reviewed and available clinical information and features of this tumor type were summarized.

Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumors

Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors represent a morphologic spectrum of tumors from the well-differentiated typical carcinoid tumor, to the intermediate-grade atypical carcinoid tumor, to the high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas composed of small-cell carcinoma and large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. The addition of immunohistochemistry in diagnostics is helpful and often essential, especially in the classification of large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. The importance of the intermediate-grade atypical carcinoid group is underscored by the impact of this diagnosis on therapy. The distinction of pulmonary small-cell carcinoma from large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, despite both being in the high-grade group, is of relevance to the therapeutic approach to these tumor types.

Lung Masses of Unusual Histologies Mimicking Malignancy: Flurodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Appearance

18F flurodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18F FDG PET-CT) is widely used in the evaluation of patients with lung mass suspicious for malignancy. In addition to malignancy, a variety of benign neoplasms and inflammatory lesions can arise in the lungs, many of which show increased FDG concentration, thereby mimicking malignancy. Awareness of the common mimics of lung cancer and a thorough understanding of their key imaging characteristics on CT as well as FDG PET is helpful in narrowing the differential diagnosis, eventually leading to appropriate therapy. In this article, we enlist these mimics and discuss their metabolic and morphologic characteristics and provide a pathophysiological basis for their FDG uptake.

Endobronchial carcinoid tumor: Radiological findings of a clinical case

We describe the case of a female patient, 21 years old, complaining of dyspnea attacks and wheezing 2 years ago. Chest radiography showed volume loss in the left lower lobe and ipsilateral retrocardiac triangular basal opacity. CT scan showed an extensive solid mass with apex protruding into the left main and lower lobar bronchi, causing distal atelectasis. Histopathological and immunohistochemical study of transbronchial biopsy of the lesion revealed a typical carcinoid tumor, confirmed after tumor resection with total left pneumectomy.

Marked 18-Fuorine-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Avidity of an Intrapulmonary Typical Carcinoid Tumor Manifesting as a Bronchocele in an Asymptomatic Middle-Aged Woman

Patient: Female, 67

Final Diagnosis: Pulmonary carcinoid tumor

Symptoms: Abnormal shadow on Chest X-ray

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: Surgery – left upper lobe lobectomy

Specialty: Radiology

A typical carcinoid tumor of the lung presenting with pure persistent ground-glass opacity on high-resolution computed tomography: a case report

Pure ground-glass opacity nodules (p-GGN) on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) generally have been considering typically associated with adenocarcinoma with less invasive nature. We herein reported a patient presenting focal p-GGN on middle lobe of the right lung who underwent surgical resection with its pathological diagnosis turned out to be typical carcinoid tumor.

Cushing's syndrome secondary to typical pulmonary carcinoid with mutation in BCOR gene: A case report

RATIONALE

Typical pulmonary carcinoid is a kind of low-grade malignancy neuroendocrine tumor. Cushing's syndrome is a very rare clinical feature of typical pulmonary carcinoid caused by hypercorticism. Complete tumor resection is the standard curative treatment for primary typical pulmonary carcinoid. However, our knowledge on the gene level of typical pulmonary carcinoid is limited.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 42-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for progressive weight gain within one year. No other obvious symptoms were obsessed in this patient. He was clinical diagnosed with ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome through hormonal tests and imaging exams. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography detected a pulmonary nodule localized in the middle lobe of the lung and it is thought to be the ectopic source.

INTERVENTION

This patient received a pulmonary wedge resection. After the surgery, a genetic sequencing was performed and it reported a mutation (S1240Cfs*21) in the BCOR gene.

DIAGNOSIS

Postoperative pathology confirmed the diagnosis of ACTH-producing typical pulmonary carcinoid.

OUTCOMES

The patient had a smooth postoperative course and no recurrence of the tumor was found for 3 years.

LESSONS

Mutation in BCOR gene is quite common in pulmonary neuroendocrine tumor and it has been proven to play a role in the development of some tumor. We herein first report BCOR gene mutation in Cushing's syndrome secondary to TPC and it may become a promising therapeutic target in the future.

[Pulmonary carcinoid tumors]

Pulmonary carcinoids are rare low-grade malignant tumors, which arise from the neuroendocrine system. Approximately 80% of all pulmonary carcinoid tumors are the relatively low-grade typical carcinoids and 20% are the more aggressive atypical carcinoids. Most carcinoids arise from the central airways and only a minority of carcinoids are found in the lung periphery. While most of the peripheral carcinoids are asymptomatic, central carcinoids are symptomatic and present with hemoptysis, wheezing or bronchial obstruction. On computed tomography (CT), carcinoids frequently present as hypervascular pulmonary nodules in close proximity to the bronchial system. Due to the bronchial obstruction, many patients with pulmonary carcinoids present with post-obstructive pneumonia or atelectasis. While fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography CT (FDG-PET/CT) is of limited value in typical carcinoids due to the high rate of false negatives, somatostatin analogs are promising tracers in staging as well as in the planning of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.

A Case of Pulmonary Carcinoid Tumor with a Superimposed Aspergilloma Presenting As a Covert Ectopic Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Syndrome

Ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) syndrome is a challenging diagnosis only responsible for approximately 10% of Cushing syndrome cases. It has been associated with a variety of benign and malignant tumors including a carcinoid tumor accompanied by aspergilloma in our case that was significantly difficult to be detected. We report a patient over 70 years old with uncontrolled hypertension and hypokalemia presenting with generalized edema. Laboratory results revealed ACTH-dependent Cushing syndrome, but imaging studies did not show any discrete lesions secreting ACTH. The petrosal to peripheral ACTH gradient resulted in no evidence of pituitary adenoma. As the only lesion suspicious for ectopic ACTH secretion was a right lower round cystic lesion that did not appear to be a carcinoid tumor on computed tomography scan of the chest, the patient underwent video-assisted thoracic surgical resection to provide a definitive diagnosis. The final diagnosis was a small ectopic ACTH-secreting carcinoid tumor with unusual superimposed aspergilloma in the periphery of the lung. Postoperatively, the abnormal endocrine levels were normalized, and all of the clinical symptoms and signs were ameliorated. This is an informative case of ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS) that was the cause of hypokalemia, hypertension, metabolic alkalosis, and hypercortisolism despite its poorly specific cushingoid morphology and uncommon imaging findings. Therefore, we recommend that clinicians investigate any possible lesion as a potential source of EAS.

Radiogenomic evaluation of lung cancer - Are there imaging characteristics associated with lung adenocarcinomas harboring BRAF mutations?

INTRODUCTION

We studied computed tomography (CT) features associated with BRAF mutated lung cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CT features of BRAF mutated lung cancers were compared to stage matched lesions without BRAF mutation.

RESULTS

47 (25%) patients with BRAF mutation and 141 (75%) without BRAF mutation were included. BRAF lesions were most frequently solid 37 (84%), spiculated 22 (50%), and peripheral 37 (84%). No feature of the primary tumor was significantly different between BRAF and non-BRAF groups. BRAF patients were more likely than KRAS patients to have pleural metastases [5 (11%) vs 0 (0%), p=0.045].

CONCLUSION

No feature of the primary tumor differentiates BRAF lesions from non-BRAF lesions.

18F-FDG PET/CT Diagnosis of Bronchopulmonary Carcinoids Versus Pulmonary Hamartomas

PURPOSE

Radiological characterization of pulmonary tumors may be difficult and invasive. Needle biopsy may produce false-negative results. 18F-FDG PET/CT is an established noninvasive procedure for lung tumor characterization and staging. This study was aimed at differentiating bronchopulmonary carcinoids from hamartomas and typical from atypical bronchopulmonary carcinoids by means of 18F-FDG PET/CT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In a retrospective analysis of 118 patients, with surgically resected pulmonary carcinoid tumors and hamartomas, 87 of those selected had also undergone 18F-FDG PET/CT preoperatively and constituted the study population. To better assess the tracer accumulation, especially in small lesions, the 18F-FDG uptake (SUV) in the tumors was corrected for partial volume effect by applying recovery coefficients corresponding to the respective various specific tumor volumes, as extrapolated from those obtained from experiments in a NEMA phantom.

RESULTS

The SUVmax was higher in the pulmonary carcinoids (mean, 3.9) than in the hamartomas (mean, 1.4; P ≤ 0.00001) and higher in the subgroup of peripheral carcinoids than in hamartomas (P ≤ 0.00001). The SUVmax was similar for the atypical and typical carcinoids, 5.0 and 3.8, respectively, because of the large variation in the data (P = 0.11).

CONCLUSIONS

Using PET measurements of the 18F-FDG uptake (SUVmax) in the tumors, corrected for partial volume effects, it was possible to differentiate the carcinoids from the hamartomas, but the clinically more aggressive atypical carcinoids could not be differentiated from the typical carcinoids.

Diagnosis and management of typical and atypical lung carcinoids

An estimated 20% to 30% of all neuroendocrine tumours originate in the bronchial tree and lungs. According to the 2015 World Health Organization categorization, these tumours are separated into four subtypes characterized by increasing biological aggressiveness: typical carcinoid, atypical carcinoid, large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and small-cell carcinoma. Although typical and atypical lung carcinoids account for less than 1-5% of all pulmonary malignancies, the incidence of these neoplasms has risen significantly in recent decades. Surgery is the treatment of choice for loco-regional disease but for advanced lung carcinoids there is no recognized standard of care and successful management requires a multidisciplinary approach. The aim of this review is to provide a useful guide for the clinical management of lung carcinoids.

Peripheral pulmonary carcinoid tumor diagnosed by endobronchial-ultrasound-guided bronchoscopy

A 45‐year‐old Japanese woman complained of uncontrolled hypertension and face swelling. She was diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome with secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography‐computed tomography revealed a 2 × 2 cm mass in her left lung, with high standardized maximum uptake value. She underwent bronchoscopy with endobronchial ultrasound via a guide‐sheath. Surgical resection of her left upper lung was performed, and pathological examination showed a typical carcinoid tumor. After lung resection, she recovered from her subjective symptoms. Diagnosis of peripheral carcinoid tumor of the lung is generally difficult. Here, we introduce a case of peripheral pulmonary carcinoid tumor diagnosed by endobronchial‐ultrasound‐guided bronchoscopy.

Primary pulmonary meningioma: an unusual cause of a nodule with strong and homogeneous enhancement

We report a case of a 61-year-old female with atypical chest pain. The chest CT scan revealed a well-circumscribed large intrapulmonary nodule that showed vigorous and homogeneous contrast enhancement. The nodule was diagnosed as a meningioma after surgery. Metastatic meningioma was excluded by brain and spine MRI scans. Primary pulmonary meningioma usually appears as a solitary well-defined round or lobulated nodule with variable enhancement on CT; this case is unique because of the intense and homogeneous enhancement. Although rare, primary pulmonary meningioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a well-defined pulmonary nodule with dense and homogeneous enhancement.

Duodeno-colic fistula as a rare presentation of lung cancer - surgical treatment of a stage IV oligometastatic lung disease

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Atypical presentation of stage IV oligometastatic lung disease in a young patient.

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Diagnostic challenge complicated by rapid evolution to a life-threatening condition.

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Difficult assessment of the risk/benefit of surgery due to absence of guidelines.

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Importance of multidisciplinary therapeutic approach in rare clinical presentations.

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Successful outcome at 18 month follow-up of malignancy with rare presentation.

Introduction

Rare adenosquamous carcinomas have no defined standard approach given their low incidence. They present with nonspecific imaging characteristics and are described as having worse prognosis than other lung malignancies, with greater likelihood of local invasion and early metastasis.

Presentation of case

Male caucasian patient, 43 years, 26 pack-year smoking history, presented with watery diarrhea, early emesis and loss of 25% body weight (20 kg) in four weeks. Colonoscopy identified a left colonic mass. Abdominal CT/ultrasound showed a large fistulous lesion between the 4th portion of the duodenum and left colon. CT showed a solid mass in the right upper lung lobe. Endoscopy and transthoracic biopsy were inconclusive. En bloc D3 and D4 duodenectomy, proximal enterectomy and left hemicolectomy were performed, with inconclusive histology of the specimen. Three months later, a right upper lung lobectomy with lymphadenectomy was performed, revealing an adenosquamous carcinoma of lung origin, R0, staged as pT2pN0pM1b. Six months later, a single dural metastasis in the left cerebellopontine angle was detected and resected, with subsequent holocranial radiotherapy and systemic adjuvant chemotherapy. Patient is currently with 18 months follow-up, in good general health and with no evidence of recurrent disease.

Discussion

There are no specific guidelines to treat oligometastatic adenosquamous lung carcinoma. Our approach was abdominal surgery as a life-saving procedure and, months later, oncological resection of primary lung tumor and metachronous metastasis to the brain.

Conclusion

A systematic, patient-oriented, patient-shared, multidisciplinary approach is particularly relevant when dealing with atypical presentations of rare diseases in young patients.

Survival Prognostic Value of Morphological and Metabolic variables in Patients with Stage I and II Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND

The prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is important, as patients with resectable disease and poor prognostic variables might benefit from neoadjuvant therapy. The goal of this study is to evaluate SUVmax, SUVmax ratio, CT volume (CTvol), metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolisis (TLG) as survival prognostic markers. In addition, we defined two variables; MTV x SUVmax (MTVmax) and CTvol x SUVmax (CTvolmax) and assessed whether they can be used as prognostic markers.

METHODS

Patients with stage I-II NSCLC who underwent 18 F FDG PET/CT and surgery were evaluated. Cox proportional-hazard model was used to determine the association between variables and survival. Similar analysis was performed in cases with no lymph node (LN) involvement.

RESULTS

One hundred and eighty-one patients were included (at the end of the study, 140 patients were alive). SUVmax with a cut-off value of 8.2 was significant survival prognostic factor regardless of LN involvement (P = 0.012). In cases with no LN involvement, SUVmax and CTvol (≥7.1 ml) were significant survival prognostic factors with P = 0.004 and 0.03, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

SUVmax may be a useful prognostic variable in stage I-II NSCLC while morphologic tumour volume might be useful in cases with no lymph node involvement.

KEY POINTS

• Identifying variables that predict the prognosis of patients with NSCLC is important. • SUVmax in primary lung tumour is a useful independent prognostic variable. • (CTvol) is an independent prognostic variable if no lymph nodes are involved.

Endobronchial carcinoid tumor in a Crohn disease patient treated with a TNFα inhibitor

A young patient with Crohn's disease is presented in whom pulmonary carcinoid tumor was incidentally found. Bronchoscopy showed an endobronchial lesion and biopsy pathology was consistent with atypical carcinoid. Octeotride scan suggested primary origin of the tumor. Although patients with Crohn's disease have been reported to have increased incidence of intestinal carcinoid, we believe this to be the second case of primary carcinoid pulmonary located in this population.

Pulmonary neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors: European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society expert consensus and recommendations for best practice for typical and atypical pulmonary carcinoids

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary carcinoids (PCs) are rare tumors. As there is a paucity of randomized studies, this expert consensus document represents an initiative by the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society to provide guidance on their management.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Bibliographical searches were carried out in PubMed for the terms 'pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors', 'bronchial neuroendocrine tumors', 'bronchial carcinoid tumors', 'pulmonary carcinoid', 'pulmonary typical/atypical carcinoid', and 'pulmonary carcinoid and diagnosis/treatment/epidemiology/prognosis'. A systematic review of the relevant literature was carried out, followed by expert review.

RESULTS

PCs are well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors and include low- and intermediate-grade malignant tumors, i.e. typical (TC) and atypical carcinoid (AC), respectively. Contrast CT scan is the diagnostic gold standard for PCs, but pathology examination is mandatory for their correct classification. Somatostatin receptor imaging may visualize nearly 80% of the primary tumors and is most sensitive for metastatic disease. Plasma chromogranin A can be increased in PCs. Surgery is the treatment of choice for PCs with the aim of removing the tumor and preserving as much lung tissue as possible. Resection of metastases should be considered whenever possible with curative intent. Somatostatin analogs are the first-line treatment of carcinoid syndrome and may be considered as first-line systemic antiproliferative treatment in unresectable PCs, particularly of low-grade TC and AC. Locoregional or radiotargeted therapies should be considered for metastatic disease. Systemic chemotherapy is used for progressive PCs, although cytotoxic regimens have demonstrated limited effects with etoposide and platinum combination the most commonly used, however, temozolomide has shown most clinical benefit.

CONCLUSIONS

PCs are complex tumors which require a multidisciplinary approach and long-term follow-up.

Spectrum of pulmonary neuroendocrine proliferations and neoplasms

Neuroendocrine neoplasms are ubiquitous tumors found throughout the body, most commonly in the gastrointestinal tract followed by the thorax. Neuroendocrine cells occur normally in the bronchial and bronchiolar epithelium and may be solitary or may occur in clusters. Although neuroendocrine cell proliferations may be found in association with chronic lung disease, a broad range of neuroendocrine proliferations and neoplasms may occur and exhibit variable biologic behavior. Diffuse idiopathic neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH) is a diffuse idiopathic form of neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia and is considered a preinvasive lesion that may give rise to carcinoid tumors. Patients with DIPNECH are typically older women who may be asymptomatic or may present with chronic respiratory symptoms. DIPNECH manifests as multifocal bilateral pulmonary micronodules on expiratory high-resolution computed tomographic (CT) images; the air trapping is secondary to constrictive bronchiolitis. Carcinoid tumors are low-grade malignant neoplasms that typically affect symptomatic children and young adults. Carcinoids manifest as well-defined pulmonary nodules or masses that are often closely related to central bronchi. They may exhibit intrinsic calcification and contrast material enhancement at CT, and patients with carcinoids may have postobstructive atelectasis and pneumonia. Although typical carcinoids are indolent neoplasms and patients have a good prognosis, atypical carcinoids are aggressive malignancies with a propensity for metastasis. Both are optimally treated with complete surgical excision. Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and small cell lung cancer are highly aggressive neuroendocrine malignancies that usually affect elderly smokers. These tumors manifest with large peripheral or central pulmonary masses. Local invasion, intrathoracic lymphadenopathy, and distant metastases are frequent at presentation. As a result, affected patients may not be candidates for surgical resection, are often treated with chemotherapy with or without radiation, and have a poor prognosis.

Primary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mediastinum: computed tomography and histopathological correlation

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to describe the computed tomographic (CT) and histopathological characteristics of neuroendocrine carcinomas of the mediastinum and to improve the diagnostic accuracy for these tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 9 patients with histopathologically confirmed primary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the mediastinum.

RESULTS

Of the 9 tumors, 6 (67%) were located in the anterior-middle mediastinum; 2, in the anterior-middle-posterior mediastinum; and 1, in the middle-mediastinum. Eight tumors appeared inhomogeneous on CT, with large areas of necrosis, whereas 1 tumor had a uniform density. Four tumors (44%) had scattered punctate calcifications. Moderate, heterogeneous enhancement (range, 21-34 Hounsfield units) was present in 8 patients. All tumors compressed or invaded the adjacent mediastinal structures. Hematoxylin and eosin staining results revealed small tumor cells, with little cytoplasm, pale chromatin, and inconspicuous or absent nucleoli. Immunohistochemical analysis results showed that the tumor cells were positive for chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neuron-specific enolase.

CONCLUSIONS

A large tumor located in the anterior-middle mediastinum, showing scattered punctate calcifications and compressing or invading the adjacent mediastinal structures, should arouse suspicion for a small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. However, the diagnosis of such tumors requires a combination of pathological and immunohistochemical examination.

The clinical, radiological, and bronchoscopic findings and outcomes in patients with benign tracheobronchial tumors

PURPOSE

We evaluated the characteristics of and treatment outcomes in patients with benign tracheobronchial tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reviewed the records of patients with benign tracheobronchial tumors who underwent bronchoscopic intervention with mechanical removal and Nd: YAG laser cauterization, and evaluated the characteristics and treatment outcomes of 55 patients with hamartomas, leiomyomas, papillomas, typical carcinoids, or schwannomas seen between April 1999 and July 2012.

RESULTS

The most common tumors were hamartoma (n=24), leiomyoma (n=16), papilloma (n=7), typical carcinoid (n=5), and schwannoma (n=3). Forty-one patients (75%) had symptoms. On chest computed tomography, 35 patients (64%) had round or ovoid lesions, accompanied by atelectasis (n=26, 47%) or obstructive pneumonia (n=17, 31%). Fatty components (n=9, 16%) and calcifications (n=7, 13%) were observed only in hamartomas, leiomyomas, and typical carcinoids. At bronchoscopy, the typical findings were categorized according to tumor shape, surface, color, and visible vessels. Fifty (91%) patients underwent complete resection. Forty patients (73%) achieved successful bronchoscopic removal defined as complete resection without complications or recurrence. Recurrences occurred in four papillomas, one leiomyoma, and one typical carcinoid. The proportions of tumor types (p=0.029) differed between the successful and unsuccessful removal groups, and a pedunculated base (p<0.001) and no spontaneous bleeding (p=0.037) were more frequent in the successful removal group.

CONCLUSION

We described clinical, radiological, and typical bronchoscopic findings in patients with benign tracheobronchial tumors; these findings might help to differentiate such tumors. Bronchoscopic intervention was a useful treatment modality, and tumor type, pedunculated base, and vascularity may influence successful tumor removal.

Clinicopathologic features and computed tomographic findings of 52 surgically resected adenosquamous carcinomas of the lung

BACKGROUND

Adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is a rare malignant tumor with a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and an adenocarcinoma (AC) component. It behaves more aggressively than other histologic subtypes of lung cancer. We studied the clinicopathologic features and computed tomographic (CT) findings of ASC and assessed the effect of tumor location and the extent of the AC component in ASC on the clinical and radiologic characteristics of ASC.

METHODS

A diagnosis of ASC was made in 53 (1.1%) of 4,923 patients who underwent resection for primary lung cancer. Fifty-two of these patients underwent preoperative high-resolution CT imaging and were enrolled in our study.

RESULTS

ASC was peripherally located in 43 patients and centrally located in 9. Tumor size larger than 5 cm (p = 0.012) and CT findings of inflammatory changes surrounding the tumor (p = 0.040) were independent prognostic factors. Larger tumor size (p < 0.001), chief complaints (p = 0.01), advanced tumor stage (p = 0.03), obstructive pneumonia (p < 0.01), and CT findings of inflammatory changes surrounding the tumor (p = 0.005) were associated with central location. Twenty-four cases were predominantly AC, and 28 were predominantly SCC. Peripheral ground-glass opacity (GGO) on CT was more often seen in the AC-predominant groups (p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

ASC patients presented with centrally located obstructive pneumonia typical of SCC and with peripheral GGO typical of lepidic AC. Tumor size that exceeded 5 cm and CT findings of inflammatory changes surrounding the tumor were strong predictors of poor prognosis.