TY  - JOUR
TI  - Frequency of Incidental Pulmonary Findings Detected on PET/CT Images of Elderly Patients Diagnosed with Extrapulmonary Malignant Neoplasm
AB  - Introduction: Reporting thorax imaging findings on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is important for patient management. Even if some pulmonary findings are benign, they can have serious life-threatening consequences. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of benign or malignant pulmonary findings, which were simultaneously detected in PET/CT scans, of elderly patients with extrapulmonary malignant neoplasms. Methods: Patients aged ≥65 years, applying to nuclear medicine department of a tertiary level health unit between November 2017 and April 2018 were retrospectively evaluated. Demographic and clinical information and PET/CT scans were obtained from their previous hospital records. Data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS version 22. Results: A total of 112 patients (mean age, 72.8 ± 7.0; females, 58.9%) were included in the study. In total, 38.4% of the patients had a smoking history, and 39.2% were exposed to second-hand smoke. The most common indications for PET/CT imaging were post-treatment evaluation (42.9%) and staging (35.7%). Predominantly diagnosed malignancies were cancers of the gastrointestinal system (26.8%), breast (26.8%), and urogenital system (17%). While most patients had benign or malign pulmonary findings in thoracic images, no abnormal pulmonary findings were observed in only 24 patients (21.4%). The most common findings were emphysema (39.3%), metastatic nodules (27.7%), bronchial wall calcifications (14.3%), and air trapping/cysts (9.8%). Discussion and Conclusion: This study revealed that 78.6% of elderly patients with extrapulmonary malignant neoplasms undergoing PET/CT scans had at least one pathologic lung finding. Although most of these findings are benign, reporting of them is important in the management and clinical outcomes of patients with malignancy.
AU  - KARADOĞAN, Dilek
AU  - GÖKSEL, SİBEL
DO  - 10.5505/aot.2021.30164
PY  - 2021
JO  - ACTA ONCOLOGICA TURCICA
VL  - 54
IS  - 3
SN  - 0304-596X
SP  - 344
EP  - 351
DB  - TRDizin
UR  - http://search/yayin/detay/508309
ER  -