Pathological features and prognostic implications of ground-glass opacity components on computed tomography for clinical stage I lung adenocarcinoma

Purpose To investigate the prognostic implications and pathological features of clinical stage I lung adenocarcinoma with ground-glass opacity (GGO) on computed tomography (CT). Methods The subjects of this retrospective study were 1228 patients with lung adenocarcinoma classified as clinical stage I, who underwent complete resection by lobectomy. The patients were divided into four groups based on the presence and proportion of GGO according to the consolidation-to-tumor ratio (CTR); A, CTR <= 0.5; B, 0.5 < CTR <= 0.75; C, 0.75 < CTR <= 1.0 with GGO; D, without GGO (pure-solid). We compared overall survival, pathological findings (N/ly/v/STAS), and histological subtypes within each clinical stage among the four groups. Results We found no significant differences among tumors with GGO (groups A, B and C) for prognosis or pathological findings in all the clinical stages. The prognoses of groups A, B and C were significantly better than that of group D for patients with clinical stages IA2-IB disease. Tumors without GGO on CT had a significantly larger number of positive N, ly, v and STAS in almost all stages than tumors with GGO on CT. Tumors without GGO on CT had significantly more solid predominant and less lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma. Conclusion Not the proportion of GGO, but its presence on CT, as well as the size of the solid component, were correlated significantly with pathological characteristics and survival.