Performance of Radiological Diagnosis of Malignant Lesions of Lung

Abstract

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in Bangladesh especially in the northern zone. CT guided core biopsy of lung helps in confirming histopathological diagnosis of lung tumor. Radiological performance for diagnosing lung malignancies relies on methods like CT, though sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy can vary based on lesion size and radiologist experience. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Department of Respiratory Medicine, Rangpur Medical College, Rangpur, Bangladesh from January 2023 to December 2023 on 102 patients with suspected bronchial carcinoma. CT scan of chest was performed for all the patients followed by CT guided core biopsy of lung for histopathology. Sensitivity, specificity, Positive predictive value (PPV), Negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of radiological diagnosis were calculated. Results: Most patients (63%) were aged 51-70, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.6:1. CT scans showed 79% with bronchial neoplasm and 21% with inflammation. Histopathology revealed 77% had bronchial carcinoma, with various types identified, Adenocarcinoma (29%), Squamous cell carcinoma (43%), Small cell carcinoma (16%), neuroendocrine carcinoma (6%), metastatic leiomyosarcoma (1.2%), metastatic GIST (1.2%) and undifferentiated carcinoma (1.2%). Sensitivity, specificity, Positive predictive value (PPV), Negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of radiological diagnosis of bronchial carcinoma were respectively 100%, 91.3%, 97.5%, 100% and 98.0%. Conclusion: CT scan can differentiate malignant lesions from inflammatory lung lesions with high performance, though histological confirmation of malignant lesions are mandatory.

J Rang Med Col. 2025 Sep;10(2): 79-83