Study of the added value of transthoracic ultrasound in staging of lung cancer

IntroductionLung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the world and early detection and proper staging are highly important for planning of treatment strategy.Aim of the workTo study the possible added value of transthoracic ultrasound (TUS) in staging of lung cancer.Patients and methodsThe study was carried out at Chest Department, Kasr El-Aini hospital in the period from April 2012 to December 2012. TUS was carried out on 50 cases with primary lung cancer after revision of CT chest images.ResultsTUS was only able to detect pulmonary masses in 31 cases (they had an ultrasound (US) window to reach the tumor mass). The study found that TUS was more able to detect more cases with chest wall invasion than CT chest and it was able to differentiate between visceral and parietal pleural invasion. It was also not only more able to detect the presence of pleural fluid encystation than CT scan detection but also was more able to further characterize its type. Diaphragmatic mobility was also assessed by TUS. There was also a statistical significant difference between TUS and CT chest in detecting consolidation and/or collapse.ConclusionTUS is complementary and adding a value to both clinical and computerized tomographic diagnoses of lung cancer. It can help in staging of lung cancer and aid chest physicians in determining the modality of treatment in each patient depending on his/her stage.