The predictive value of CT signs of mixed ground-glass nodules in pathological subtypes and differentiation of lung adenocarcinoma / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

ABSTRACT

@#Objective    To explore the predictive value of CT signs of mixed ground-glass nodules in the pathological subtype and differentiation of lung adenocarcinoma. Methods    The clinical data of 66 patients with mixed ground-glass nodules pathologically diagnosed as invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) in the Second Department of Thoracic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from May to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including 20 males and 46 females, aged 35-75 years. The CT findings were analyzed before operation, and the lesion profile was cut after operation to distinguish the ground-glass and solid components, and the pathological results of different positions were obtained. According to the postoperative pathological results, the patients were divided into a low-risk group (containing adherent type and no components of micropapillary subtype and solid subtype, n=16), a medium-risk group (containing niple or acinar type and no components of micropapillary subtype and solid subtype, n=38), and a high-risk group (containing micropapillary or solid subtype, n=12). The relationships between CT features and the pathological subtype and degree of differentiation were analyzed and compared. Results    In 66 patients with IAC, the infiltration degree of solid components was greater than that of ground-glass components. When the solid component ratio (CTR) was≥25% (sensitivity 90.2%, specificity 64.0%, P=0.005), and the average CT value was>−283.95 HU (sensitivity 82.9%, specificity 64.0%, P=0.000), the histological grade was more inclined to medium and low differentiation. The CTR, Ki-67, average CT value and histological grade of IAC in the medium- and high-risk groups were higher than those of nodules in the low-risk group. Conclusion    The infiltration degree of solid components is higher than that of ground-glass components in IAC mixed ground-glass nodules. The pathological subtype, Ki-67 expression and histological grade of lung adenocarcinoma can be predicted according to its CT characteristics, which has important clinical significance for determining the timing of surgery.