Agreement Between High-Resolution Computed Tomography and Pathological Tumor Size of Lung Adenocarcinoma: Influence of Ground Glass Opacity Ratio

To compare the tumor size of lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as sub-solid nodule (SSN) as measured by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and pathological specimens, and to analyze the influence of ground glass opacity (GGO) ratio on the discrepancy between HRCT and pathological measurements.
Patients and Fifty-five patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as SSN on HRCT were retrospectively analyzed. The pathological lesion size was 3 cm or less in the largest dimension. The largest diameter of the lesion and the largest diameter of the solid component were measured on axial HRCT scans by two radiologists. Simultaneously, the largest diameter of the lesion was also determined using computer-aided software, and GGO ratio was calculated. The correlation of GGO ratio with the discrepancy between HRCT tumor size and pathological tumor size was analyzed using Pearson’s/Spearman’s rank correlation tests.
GGO ratio was well correlated with the discrepancy of tumor size between manual and pathological measurements and between semi-automatic and pathological measurements, with the correction coefficient of 0.474 and 0.457, respectively.
GGO ratio is correlated with the discrepancy between HRCT tumor size and pathological tumor size. These finding provides insights into clinical treatment and prognosis judgment of lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as SSN.