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Trials show that low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening in long-term (ex-)smokers reduces lung cancer mortality. However, many individuals were exposed to unnecessary diagnostic procedures. This project aims to improve the efficiency of lung cancer screening by identifying high-risk participants, and improving risk discrimination for nodules. This study is an extension of the Dutch-Belgian Randomized Lung Cancer Screening Trial, with a focus on personalized outcome prediction (NELSON-POP). New data will be added on genetics, air pollution, malignancy risk for lung nodules, and CT biomarkers beyond lung nodules (emphysema, coronary calcification, bone density, vertebral height and body composition). The roles of polygenic risk scores and air pollution in screen-detected lung cancer diagnosis and survival will be established. The association between the AI-based nodule malignancy score and lung cancer will be evaluated at baseline and incident screening rounds. The association of chest CT imaging biomarkers with outcomes will be established. Based on these results, multisource prediction models for pre-screening and post-baseline-screening participant selection and nodule management will be developed. The new models will be externally validated. We hypothesize that we can identify 15-20% participants with low-risk of lung cancer or short life expectancy and thus prevent ~140,000 Dutch individuals from being screened unnecessarily. We hypothesize that our models will improve the specificity of nodule management by 10% without loss of sensitivity as compared to assessment of nodule size/growth alone, and reduce unnecessary work-up by 40-50%. ispartof: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY vol:38 issue:4 pages:445-454 ispartof: location:Netherlands status: published

Use of molecular targeting agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has increased the frequency and broadened the spectrum of lung toxicity, particularly in patients with cancer. The diagnosis of drug-related pneumonitis (DRP) is usually achieved by excluding other potential known causes. Awareness of the incidence and risk factors for DRP is becoming increasingly important. The severity of symptoms associated with DRP may range from mild or none to life-threatening with rapid progression to death. Imaging features of DRP should be assessed in consideration of the distribution of lung parenchymal abnormalities (radiologic pattern approach). The CT patterns reflect acute (diffuse alveolar damage) interstitial pneumonia and transient (simple pulmonary eosinophilia) lung abnormality, subacute interstitial disease (organizing pneumonia and hypersensitivity pneumonitis), and chronic interstitial disease (nonspecific interstitial pneumonia). A single drug can be associated with multiple radiologic patterns. Treatment of a patient suspected of having DRP generally consists of drug discontinuation, immunosuppressive therapy, or both, along with supportive measures eventually including supplemental oxygen and intensive care. In this position paper, the authors provide diagnostic criteria and management recommendations for DRP that should be of interest to radiologists, clinicians, clinical trialists, and trial sponsors, among others. This article is a simultaneous joint publication in Radiology and CHEST. The articles are identical except for stylistic changes in keeping with each journal's style. Either version may be used in citing this article. Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ispartof: RADIOLOGY vol:298 issue:3 pages:550-566 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Contains fulltext : 206900.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) It is well known that lung cancer can manifest itself in imaging as solid and subsolid nodules or masses. However, in this era of increased computed tomography use another morphological computed tomography appearance of lung cancer is increasingly being recognised, presenting as a malignancy in relation to cystic airspaces. Despite the fact that it seems to be a relatively common finding in daily practice, literature on this entity is scarce and presumably the overall awareness is limited. This can lead to misinterpretation and delay in diagnosis and, therefore, increased awareness is urgently needed. This review aims to illustrate the imaging appearances of cyst-related primary lung malignancies, demonstrate its mimickers and potential pitfalls, and discuss the clinical implications based on the available literature and our own experience in four different hospitals.

Contains fulltext : 173140.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) OBJECTIVES: To determine the presence and morphology of subsolid pulmonary nodules (SSNs) in a non-screening setting and relate them to clinical and patient characteristics. METHODS: A total of 16,890 reports of clinically obtained chest CT (06/2011 to 11/2014, single-centre) were searched describing an SSN. Subjects with a visually confirmed SSN and at least two thin-slice CTs were included. Nodule volumes were measured. Progression was defined as volume increase exceeding the software interscan variation. Nodule morphology, location, and patient characteristics were evaluated. RESULTS: Fifteen transient and 74 persistent SSNs were included (median follow-up 19.6 [8.3-36.8] months). Subjects with an SSN were slightly older than those without (62 vs. 58 years; p = 0.01), but no gender predilection was found. SSNs were mostly located in the upper lobes. Women showed significantly more often persistent lesions than men (94 % vs. 69 %; p = 0.002). Part-solid lesions were larger (1638 vs. 383 mm3; p < 0.001) and more often progressive (68 % vs. 38 %; p = 0.02), compared to pure ground-glass nodules. Progressive SSNs were rare under the age of 50 years. Logistic regression analysis did not identify additional nodule parameters of future progression, apart from part-solid nature. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms previously reported characteristics of SSNs and associated factors in a European, routine clinical population. KEY POINTS: * SSNs in women are significantly more often persistent compared to men. * SSN persistence is not associated with age or prior malignancy. * The majority of (persistent) SSNs are located in the upper lung lobes. * A part-solid nature is associated with future nodule growth. * Progressive solitary SSNs are rare under the age of 50 years.

Item does not contain fulltext OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the impact of gray-scale reversal on the detection of small pulmonary nodules in two-view chest radiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty-eight patients (mean age, 62 years) who underwent CT and chest radiography within 6 weeks were retrospectively selected for this study. Seventy-three percent of patients showed variable degrees of radiographic findings of a "dirty lung." A total of 129 solid pulmonary nodules were present in 74 patients (nodule diameter range, 5-30 mm; mean diameter, 13 mm). The remaining 54 patients served as negative control subjects. Six readers with varying experience levels evaluated the images without and with the availability of gray-scale reversal in two separate reading sessions. Figure of merit (FOM), sensitivity per lesion, mean number of false-positive marks per image, and accuracy were calculated. RESULTS: Five of the six readers showed a slight increase in sensitivity with the use of gray-scale reversal, but on average, the difference was not significant (48% vs 50%; p > 0.05). The mean number of false-positive marks per image also nonsignificantly increased from 0.20 to 0.23. The increases in both sensitivity and the mean number of false-positive marks per image translated into nonsignificant decreases in average FOM (0.79 vs 0.77) and accuracy (72% vs 71%). Data analysis of subgroups of nodules or different reader groups, depending on level of experience, did not reveal significant differences. CONCLUSION: Using PACS display of digital chest radiographs, gray-scale reversal does not help the radiologists in detecting pulmonary nodules. 01 november 2011

Contains fulltext : 89333.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) PURPOSE: To estimate the performance of digital chest radiography for detection of lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study had ethics committee approval, and a nested case-control design was used and included 55 patients with lung cancer detected at computed tomography (CT) and confirmed with histologic examination and a sample of 72 of 4873 control subjects without nodules at CT. All patients underwent direct-detector digital chest radiography in two projections within 2 months of the screening CT. Four radiologists with varying experience identified and localized potential cancers on chest radiographs by using a confidence scale of level 1 (no lesion) to 5 (definite lesion). Localization receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed. On the basis of the assumption that suspicious lesions seen at chest radiography would lead to further work-up with CT, the number of work-up CT examinations per detected cancer (CT examinations per cancer) was calculated at various confidence levels for the screening population (cancer rate in study population, 1.3%). RESULTS: Tumor size ranged from 6.8 to 50.7 mm (median, 11.8 mm). Areas under the localization ROC curve ranged from 0.52 to 0.69. Detection rates substantially varied with the observers' experience and confidence level: At a confidence level of 5, detection rates ranged from 18% at one CT examination per cancer to 53% at 13 CT examinations per cancer. At a confidence level of 2 or higher, detection rates ranged from 94% at 62 CT examinations per cancer to 78% at 44 CT examinations per cancer. CONCLUSION: A detection rate of 94% for lung tumors with a diameter of 6.8-50.7 mm found at CT screening was achievable with chest radiography only at the expense of a high false-positive rate and an excessive number of work-up CT examinations. Detection performance is strongly observer dependent. 01 mei 2010

Background: With the introduction of multi-detector row CT (MDCT), the sensitivity to diagnose pulmonary embolism (PE) has greatly improved. It is conceivable that the use of newer generation CT scans may lead to a higher prevalence and a different distribution of PE. We therefore compared the 64-slice with 4-slice MDCT with regard to prevalence and distribution of PE, number of inconclusive test results and inter-reader variability. Methods: CT scans from a random sample of 110 consecutive patients who underwent 4-slice CT scanning in a diagnostic management study were compared with 64-slice CT-scans from 107 similar patients from a second management study. Three radiologists independently reassessed all CT-scans. Consensus was reached in case of disagreement between the readers. Final diagnosis of PE was categorized as central, segmental or subsegmental by the thrombus' most proximal end. Results: The prevalence of PE was 24% (26/110, 95% confidence interval 17-32%) and 22% (24/107, 16-31%) for the 4-slice and 64- slice cohort, respectively. The prevalence of isolated subsegmental emboli was 2/26 (7.7%; 2.1-24%) and 5/24 (21%; 9.2-41%), respectively (P = 0.424). The number of inconclusive scans was 10% in both cohorts; mostly due to movement artefacts and suboptimal intravascular contrast, respectively. The inter-reader agreement for the final diagnosis between the three readers was 0.70 for the 4-slice scans and 0.68 for the 64-slice scans. Conclusion: Although absolute prevalence of PE was comparable in both cohorts, there was a trend towards more isolated subsegmental PE with 64-slice CT. Both 4- and 64-slice CT scans were inconclusive in a substantial proportion of patients, which exceeds the number found in management studies. This may indicate that the diagnosis of PE with MDCT in clinical practice is more difficult than assumed.

Projection radiography is in an advanced stage of progressive transition from conventional screen-film imaging to digital image acquisition modalities. The radiographic technique, including examination parameters such as tube voltage, tube current and filtration has frequently been adopted from screen-film technology. Digital systems, however, are characterized by their flexibility as the dose can be reduced at the expense of image quality and vice versa. The imaging parameters need to be individually optimized according to the best performance of a system. The traditional means of dose adjustment, such as positioning and collimation, are as valid for digital techniques as they were for conventional techniques. Digital techniques increasingly offer options for dose reduction. At the same time there is a risk to accidentally substantially increase patient dose due to the lack of visual control. Therefore, the implementation of dose indicators and dose monitoring is mandatory for digital radiography. The use of image quality classes according to the dose requirements of given clinical indications are a further step towards modern radiation protection.

With the advent of multidetector CT, pulmonary CT angiography (MD-CTPA) has substantially gained in spatial resolution and is the accepted method of choice to diagnose and rule out acute pulmonary embolism down to the subsegmental level. This article reviews means to optimize scanning technique and contrast injection protocols dependent on the scanner type used. It summarizes recent publications on the performance of MD-CTPA with special emphasis on the diagnostic accuracy, interpretation and clinical role of (isolated) peripheral emboli. Diagnostic algorithms are outlined that describe the role of CT in context with the pretest probability, the D-Dimer, lower limb sonography and scintigraphy.