Radiographic Features of Bronchioloalveolar Carcinoma in Northern Thai people.

Abstract

Purpose: To fi nd incidence and describe the radiographic features of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) in northern Thai people. Materials and methods: After institutional review board approval, 55 patients who were pathological diagnosed BAC during 7 years (1999 - 2006) were reviewed. Only 30 patients (15 men and 15 female, mean age 58.6 years, range 39 – 77 years) were available for chest radiographs or CT images and included. We retrospectively studied each radiographic presentation and determined percentage of them. Results: An incidence of BAC was about 8.74% among all primary lung cancers in northern Thai people. We found a solitary pulmonary nodule or mass 36.67%, solitary air-space consolidation (pneumonic pattern) 16.67%, multiple lesions with nodular predominant 30% and multiple lesions with airconsolidation predominant 16.67%. Most solitary lesion located in peripheral lung (90.1%) and had low density on chest radiograph (83.33%). The pleural tail sign was discovered only on CT images. An indolent course of disease and origination of tumor from a scar-like lesion were also seen. Metastasis to the rib, spine, and brain were also seen in this study. Conclusion: BAC in the north showed various radiographic patterns that the most frequently feature was a solitary lesion, mainly nodule/mass. All multiple lesions showed large consolidation and multiple nodules throughout the lungs. Many previously radiographic characters were observed in this study, especially a low density nodule and peripheral distribution.