Valsecchi Clara, Petrella Francesco, Freguia Stefania, Frattini Milo, Argentieri Gianluca, Puligheddu Carla, Treglia Giorgio, Rizzo Stefania
Clinic of Radiology EOC, Istituto Imaging della Svizzera Italiana (IIMSI), Via Tesserete 46, 6900 Lugano, CH, Switzerland.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, IT, Italy.
Cancers (Basel). 2025 Jan 18;17(2):307. doi: 10.3390/cancers17020307.
Lung cancer, the second most common malignancy in both men and women, poses a significant health burden. Early diagnosis remains pivotal in reducing lung cancer mortality. Given the escalating number of computed tomography (CT) examinations in both outpatient and inpatient settings, radiologists play a crucial role in identifying early-stage pulmonary cancers, particularly non-nodular cancers. Screening programs have been instituted to achieve this goal, and they have raised attention within the scientific community to lung cancers associated with cystic airspaces. These cancers, although they have been known for at least a decade, remain understudied. Limited investigations with small sample sizes have estimated their prevalence and explored their radiological and pathological features. Lung cancers associated with cystic airspaces exhibit varying complexities within their cystic components and demonstrate suspicious changes over time. Adenocarcinoma is the predominant histological type, often with a peripheral location. Differential diagnosis on CT scans includes inflammatory processes or emphysema-related changes. Unfortunately, prospective studies specifically analyzing the prevalence of cystic airspace-associated lung cancers are lacking. However, it is estimated that they constitute approximately one-fourth of delayed radiological diagnoses. Increased awareness among radiologists could lead to more timely identification and potentially reduce lung cancer mortality in a cost-effective manner.
肺癌是男性和女性中第二常见的恶性肿瘤，带来了沉重的健康负担。早期诊断对于降低肺癌死亡率仍然至关重要。鉴于门诊和住院环境中计算机断层扫描（CT）检查数量不断增加，放射科医生在识别早期肺癌，尤其是非结节性肺癌方面发挥着关键作用。已经制定了筛查计划来实现这一目标，并且这些计划引起了科学界对与囊性气腔相关的肺癌的关注。这些癌症虽然至少已经为人所知十年了，但仍研究不足。样本量较小的有限调查估计了它们的患病率，并探索了它们的放射学和病理学特征。与囊性气腔相关的肺癌在其囊性成分中表现出不同程度的复杂性，并随时间显示出可疑变化。腺癌是主要的组织学类型，通常位于周边。CT扫描上的鉴别诊断包括炎症过程或与肺气肿相关的变化。不幸的是，缺乏专门分析与囊性气腔相关的肺癌患病率的前瞻性研究。然而，据估计它们约占延迟放射学诊断的四分之一。放射科医生提高认识可能会导致更及时的识别，并有可能以具有成本效益的方式降低肺癌死亡率。
