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Emphysema affects the number and appearance of solitary pulmonary nodules identified in chest low-dose computed tomography: a study on high risk lung cancer screenees recruited in Silesian District

Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Chest low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has recently been proved effective in lung cancer screening. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the association between the occurrence of emphysema and solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) in first‑round screening with LDCT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 601 asymptomatic volunteers with a smoking history underwent LDCT; 523 patients were assigned to one of the following groups: E, emphysema without nodules (n = 103); E + N, emphysema with coexisting nodules (n = 96); N, nodules without emphysema (n = 142); and NENN, no nodules and no emphysema (n = 182). The effect of emphysema and demographic factors on the profile of SPNs was assessed. RESULTS: Patients in the E + N group were older than those in the N group (median age, 65 vs 63 years; P = 0.001) and they smoked more (median pack‑years, 37.8 vs 32; P = 0.01). Emphysema was detected in 199 of the 523 patients (38%), while nodules, in 238 (45.5%). The number of nodules in the E + N group was 390 (4.1 nodules per patient), and in the N group, 540 (3.8 nodules per patient). Multiple SPNs, of different size and morphology, constituted 93.3% of the nodules in the E + N group. Seven cases of cancer were detected among 238 patients with nodules, and their distribution was similar in the groups with and without emphysema (4.2 per 100 patients in the E + N group and 2.1 per 100 in the N group; P = 0.44). CONCLUSIONS: Emphysema was more frequently associated with multiple SPNs of different morphology among elderly patients with a higher number of smoking pack‑years.
DOI: 10.20452/pamw.14985
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2975825199
FWCI: 0.352
Cites: 25
Cited by: 5
Related to: 10