RADIOLOGICAL PATTERN OF LUNG CANCER - A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

This was performed to observe various radiological presentations of lung cancer at the initial evaluation and to elicit correlation to histopathological diagnosis in all patients to a tertiary chest care hospital. AIM: To study various radiological presentations among lung cancer patients Method: we included all the patients with lung cancer reviewed during a 12mth period between March 2012 to November 2014 who had a definite tissue diagnosis and whose staging based on CT thorax were available. RESULTS: 65 patients were evaluated. Right sided lesions predominated with 60% and on left side being 40%. On either side put together, upper lobe 46.15% & middle lobe 36.9% and lower lobe 16.9%.Based on location of tumor 26% of the lesions are peripherally located, 24.5% are central localization, 13.8% are located intermedially. Radiological pattern of presentation: 67% of the cases presented as mass lesions, 9% as obstructive pneumonitis and 23% as combined mass with collapse and 23.07% as pleural effusion. Histological pattern of presentation: squamous cell carcinoma is most common type with 49.23%, adeno 33%, small cell 15%, others 1.5% Most of the cases presented to the hospital in stage IV with 56.36% and stage IIIA 16.36% and stage IIIB as 18.18%. CONCLUSION: we observed most of the lung cancers presented as mass lesion with peripherally located tumor and the most common histological type is squamous cell carcinoma, presented at advanced stages.