European Journal of Radiology
Volume 45, Issue 1 , Pages 69-77 , January 2003

The solitary pulmonary nodule

  • A.W.K Tang
    • ,
  • H.A Moss
    • ,
  • R.J.H Robertson

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Present address: CT Unit, The General Infirmary at Leeds, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX, UK. Tel.: +44-113-392-6495; fax: +44-113-392-5620

Received 17 September 2002 ,Revised 18 September 2002 ,Accepted 19 September 2002.

References 

  1. Comstock GW, Vaughan RH, Montgomery G. Outcome of solitary pulmonary nodules discovered in an x-ray screening program. N. Engl. J. Med. 1956;254:1018–1022
  2. Good CA, Wilson TW. The solitary circumscribed pulmonary nodule: study of seven hundred five cases encountered roentgenographically in a period of three and one-half years. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 1958;166:210–215
  3. Henschke CI, McCauley DI, Yankelevitz DF, et al.  Early lung cancer action project: overall design and findings from baseline screening. Lancet. 1999;99–105
  4. Swensen SJ, Jett JR, Sloan JA, Midthun DE, Hartman TE, Sykes AM, et al. Screening for lung cancer with low-dose spiral computed tomography. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2002;165(4):508–513 February
  5. Bray F, Sankila R, Ferlay J, Parkin DM. Estimates of cancer incidence and mortality in Europe in 1995. Eur. J. Cancer. 2002;38(1):99–166
  6. Landis SH et al. Cancer statistics, 1999. CA Cancer J Clin 1999;49:8–31.
  7. Berrino F, Caopcaccia R, Esteve J et al. Survival of cancer patients in Europe: the EUROCARE-2 study. IARC Scientific Publication, No. 151, IARC, Lyon, 1999.
  8. Suzuki K, Nagai K, Yoshida J, et al.  Prognostic factors in clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer. Ann. Thorac. Surg. 1999;67:927–932
  9. Dominioni L, Imperatori A, Rovera F, Ochetti A, Paolucci M, Dionigi G. Lung cancer screening in cigarette smokers in the province of Varese, Italy. Cancer. 2000;89(11 Suppl.):2345–2348
  10. Steele JD. The solitary pulmonary nodule: report of a cooperative study of resected asymptomatic solitary pulmonary nodules in males. J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 1963;46:21–39
  11. Midthun DE, Swenson SJ, Jett JR. Clinical stragies for solitary pulmonary nodules. Annu. Rev. Med. 1992;43:195–208
  12. Ost D, Fein A. Evaluation and management of the solitary pulmonary nodule. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2000;162:782–787
  13. Costello P, Anderson W, Blume D. Pulmonary nodule: evaluation with spiral volumetric CT. Radiology. 1991;179:875
  14. Siegelman SS, Khouri NF, Leo FP, Fishman EK, Braverman RM, Zerhouni EA. Solitary pulmonary nodules: CT assessment. Radiology. 1986;160(2):307–312
  15. Zerhouni EA, Stitik FP, Siegelman SS, Naidich DP, Sagel SS, Proto AV, et al. CT of the pulmonary nodule: a national cooperative study. Radiology. 1986;160:319–327
  16. Bateson EM. An analysis of 155 solitary lung lesions illustrating the differential diagnosis of mixed tumours of the lung. Clin. Radiol. 1965;16:51
  17. Gurney JW. Determining the likelihood of malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules with Bayesian analysis Pt I. Theory Radiol. 1993;186:405–413
  18. Yankelevitz DF, Henschke CI. Small solitary pulmonary nodules. Radiol. Clin. North Am. 2000;38(3):471–478
  19. Higgins GA, Shields TW, Keehm RJ. The solitary pulmonary nodule: ten-year follow-up of Veterans Administration Armed Forces Cooperative Study. Arch. Surg. 1975;110:570–575
  20. Ray JF, Lawton BR, Magnin GE, Dovenbarger WV, Smullen WA, Reyes CN, et al. The coin lesion story: update 1976, twenty years' experience with early thoracotomy for 179 suspected malignant coin lesions. Chest. 1976;70:332–336
  21. Erasmus JJ, Connolly JE, McAdams HP, Roggli VL. Solitary pulmonary nodules: Part I. Morphologic evaluation for differentiation of benign and malignant lesions. Radiographics. 2000;20(1):43–58
  22. Swensen SJ, Jett JF, Sloan JA, Midthun DE, Hartman TE, Sykes AM, et al. Screening for lung cancer with low-dose spiral computed tomography. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2002;165(4):508–513
  23. Aufses AH. Differential diagnosis between the early infiltrate and tuberculosis or carcinoma of the lung. Tuberculology. 1949;210:72–78
  24. Swenson SJ. What is the significance of finding calcifications in pulmonary masses on CT scans?. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1995;164:505–506
  25. Bateson EM, Abbott EK. Mixed tumours of the lungs, or hamarto-chondromas. A review of the radiological appearances of cases published in the literature and a report of fifteen new cases. Clin. Radiol. 1960;11:232
  26. Mahoney MC, Shipley RT, Corcoran HL, Dickson BA. CT demonstration of calcification in carcinoma of the lung. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1990;154(2):255–258
  27. O'Keefe ME, Good CA, McDonald JR. Calcification in solitary nodules of the lung. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1957;77:1023–1033
  28. Stewart JG, MacMahon H, Vyborny CJ, Pollak ER. Dystrophic calcification in carcinoma of the lung: demonstration by CT. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1987;148(1):29–30
  29. Proto AV, Thomas SR. Pulmonary nodules studied by computed tomography. Radiology. 1985;156:149–153
  30. Berger WG, Erly WK, Krupinski EA, Standen JR, Stem RG. The solitary pulmonary nodule on chest radiography: can we really tell if the nodule is calcified?. Am. J. Roentgenol. 2001;176(1):201–204
  31. Zerhouni EA, Boukadoum M, Siddiky MA, et al.  A standard phantom for quantitative CT analysis of pulmonary nodules. Radiology. 1983;149:767–773
  32. Huston J, Muhm JR. Solitary pulmonary nodules: evaluation with a CT reference phantom. Radiology. 1989;170:653–656
  33. Khan A, Herman PG, Vorwerk P, Stevens P, Rojas KA, Graver M. Solitary pulmonary nodules: comparison of classification with standard, thin-section, and reference phantom CT. Radiology. 1991;179(2):477–481
  34. Shaffer K. Role of radiology for imaging and biopsy of solitary pulmonary nodules. Chest. 1999;116(6 Suppl.):519S–522S
  35. Lillington GA. Solitary pulmonary nodules: new wine in old bottles. Curr. Opin. Pulm. Med. 2001;7(4):242–246
  36. Swenson SJ. Functional CT: lung nodule evaluation. Radiographics. 2000;20:1178–1181
  37. Swenson SJ, Viggiano RW, Midthun DE, et al.  Lung nodule enhancement at CT: multicenter study. Radiology. 2000;214:73–80
  38. Zhang M, Kono M. Solitary pulmonary nodules: evaluation of blood flow patterns with dynamic CT. Radiology. 1997;205:471–478
  39. Yamashita K, Matsunobe S, Tsuda T, Nemoto T, Matsumoto K, Miki H, et al. Solitary pulmonary nodule: preliminary study of evaluation with incremental dynamic CT. Radiology. 1995;194:399–405
  40. Yamashita K, Matsunobe S, Tsuda T, Okuda K, Matsumoto K, Oyanagi H, et al. Intratumoral necrosis of lung carcinoma: a potential diagnostic pitfall in incremental dynamic computed tomography analysis of solitary pulmonary nodules?. J. Thorac. Imaging. 1997;12(3):181–187
  41. Swensen SJ, Silverstein MD, Ilstrup DM, Schleck CD, Edell ES. The probability of malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules. Application to small radiologically indeterminate nodules. Arch. Intern. Med. 1997;157(8):849–855 April 28
  42. Li H, Boiselle PM, Shepard JO, Trotman-Dickenson B, McLoud TC. Diagnostic accuracy and safety of CT-guided percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy of the lung: comparison of small and large pulmonary nodules. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1997;168(4):1111–1112
  43. Seemann MD, Seeman O, Luboldt W, et al.  Differentiation of malignant from benign solitary pulmonary lesions using chest radiography, spiral CT and HRCT. Lung Cancer. 2000;29:105–124
  44. Theros EG. Varying manifestations of peripheral pulmonary neoplasms: a radiology-pathologic correlative survey. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1977;128:893–914
  45. Woodring JH, Fried AM. Significance of wall thickness in solitary cavities of the lung: a follow up study. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1983;140:473–474
  46. Woodring JH, Fried AM, Chaung VP. Solitary cavities of the lung: diagnostic implications of cavity wall thickness. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1980;135:1269–1271
  47. Weisbrod GL, Towers MJ, Chamberlain DW, Herman SJ, Matzinger FR. Thin-walled cystic lesions in bronchioalveolar carcinoma. Radiology. 1992;185(2):401–405
  48. Lee KS, Kim Y, Han J, Ko EJ, Park CK, Primack SL. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma: clinical, histopathologic, and radiologic findings. Radiographics. 1997;17(6):1345–1357
  49. Zwirewich CV, Vedal S, Miller RR, Muller NL. Solitary pulmonary nodule: high-resolution CT and radiologic–pathologic correlation. Radiology. 1991;179(2):469–476
  50. Heitzman ER, Markarian B, Raasch BN, Carsky EW, Lane EJ, Berlow ME. Related articles. Pathways of tumor spread through the lung: radiologic correlations with anatomy and pathology. Radiology. 1982;144(1):3–14
  51. Khan A, Herman PG, Vorwerk P, Stevens P, Rojas KA, Graver M. Solitary pulmonary nodules: comparison of classification with standard, thin-section, and reference phantom CT. Radiology. 1991;179(2):477–481
  52. Huston J III, Muhm JR. Solitary pulmonary opacities: plain tomography, Radiology 1987;163:481–5.
  53. Garland LH. The rate of growth and natural duration of primary bronchial cancer. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1966;96:604
  54. Collins VP, Loeffler RK, Tivey H. Observations on the growth rates of human tumors. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1956;76:988
  55. Steele JD, Buell P. Asymptomatic solitary pulmonary nodules, host survival, tumour size and growth rate. J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 1973;65:140
  56. Nathan MH, Collins VP, Adams RA. Differentiation of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules by growth rate. Radiology. 1962;79:221
  57. Weiss W. Peripheral measurable bronchogenic carcinoma. Growth rate and period of risk after therapy. Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 1971;103:198
  58. Yankelevitz DF, Gupta R, Zhao B, Henschke CI. Small pulmonary nodules: evaluation with repeat CT—preliminary experience. Radiology. 1999;212(2):561–566
  59. Yankelevitz DF, Reeves AP, Kostis WJ, Zhao B, Henschke CI. Small pulmonary nodules: volumetrically determined growth rates based on CT evaluation. Radiology. 2000;217(1):251–256
  60. Davis EW, Peabody WJ, Katz S. The solitary pulmonary nodule: a ten year study based on 215 cases. J. Thorac. Surg. 1956;32:728–770
  61. Joseph WL, Morton DL, Adkins PC. Prognostic significance of tumour doubling time in evaluating operability in pulmonary metastatic disease. J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 1971;61:23–32
  62. Mizuno T, Masaoka A, Ichimura H, Shibata K, Tanaka H, Niwa H. Comparison of actual survivorship after treatment with survivorship predicted by actual tumour-volume doubling time from tumour diameter at first observation. Cancer. 1984;53:2716–2720
  63. Neoplastic diseases of the lung. In: Fraser RG, Pare JAP, Pare PD, Fraser RD, Genereux GP, editors. Diagnosis of diseases of the chest, 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1989. pp. 1327–1699.
  64. Lillington GA. Management of solitary pulmonary nodules. Disease-A-Month. 1991;37:271–318
  65. Yankelevitz DF, Henschke CI. Does 2-year stability imply that pulmonary nodules are benign?. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1997;168(2):325–328
  66. Good CA, Hood TT, McDonald JR. Significance of solitary mass in lung. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1953;70:543–554
  67. Nathan M. Management of solitary pulmonary nodules: an organized approach based upon growth rate and statistics. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 1974;227:1141–1144
  68. Boucot KR, et al.  Appearance of first roentgenographic abnormalities due to lung cancer. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 1964;190:77–80
  69. Seemann MD, Seemann O, Luboldt W, Bonel H, Sittek H, Dienemann H, et al. Differentiation of malignant from benign solitary pulmonary lesions using chest radiography, spiral CT and HRCT. Lung Cancer. 2000;29(2):105–124
  70. Bozcuk H, Martin C. Does treatment delay affect survival in non-small cell lung cancer? A retrospective analysis from a single UK centre. Lung Cancer. 2001;34:243–252
  71. Gurney JW. Determining the likelihood of malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules with Bayesian analysis Pt I. Theory Radiol. 1993;186:405–413
  72. Ledley RS, Lusted LB. Reasoning foundations of medical diagnosis. Science. 1959;130:9–23
  73. Black WC, Armstrong P. Communicating the significance of radiological test results: the likelihood ratio. Am. J. Roentgenol. 1986;147:1313–1318
  74. Templeton AW, Jansen C, Lehr JL, Hufft R. Solitary pulmonary lesions. Computer-aided differential diagnosis and evaluation of mathematical methods. Radiology. 1967;89(4):605–613
  75. Gurney JW, Lyddon DM, McKay JA. Determining the likelihood of malignancy in solitary pulmonary nodules with Bayesian analysis. Part II. Appl Radiol, 1993;186:415–422.
  76. Swensen SJ, Silverstein MD, Edell ES, et al.  Solitary pulmonary nodules: clinical prediction model versus physicians. Mayo Clin. Proc. 1999;74:319–329
  77. Gambhir SS, Shepherd JE, Shah BD, Hart E, Hoh CK, Valk PE, et al. Analytical decision model for the cost-effective management of solitary pulmonary nodules. J. Clin. Oncol. 1998;2113–2125

PII: S0720-048X(02)00297-8

European Journal of Radiology
Volume 45, Issue 1 , Pages 69-77 , January 2003

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution