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The frequency and significance of radiologically detected indeterminate pulmonary nodules in patients with colorectal cancer
Medical Principles and Practice, 08/08/2012
Umut Varolet al. – This study has shown that multiple indeterminate pulmonary nodules with an irregular border in a parenchymal location were more likely to represent metastatic disease. However, the frequency of the occurrence of indeterminate pulmonary metastases of CRC was low.
Methods- Medical records of 1,344 patients with CRC who underwent thoracic computerized tomography scans between January 2003 and December 2009 were reviewed.
- Those with any distant metastatic disease or who were already known to have pulmonary malignancies were excluded.
- Number, size, shape and location of the nodules were evaluated.
- A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the predictive factors for evidence of metastases.
- Of the 1,344 patients, 55 (4.09%) had nodules that met the criteria of an indeterminate pulmonary nodule.
- The mean follow–up time was 25 ± 17.9 months and the mean time to develop pulmonary metastasis was 15.5 ± 6.4 months.
- The nodules of 17 (30.9%) patients showed progression at follow–up; 8 had metastasized.
- Multivariate analysis showed multiple indeterminate pulmonary nodules (p = 0.006) of parenchymal localization (p = 0.016) with an irregular border (p = 0.002), which is predictive of metastatic disease.
