Discussion
Diagnosis With Brief Discussion
- Diagnosis
- Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma
- Radiologic Findings
- Brief Review
- Adenocarcinoma represents the most common histologic subtype worldwide, accounting for almost half of all lung cancer. Recent new adenocarcinoma classification provides uniform terminology and diagnostic criteria, especially for bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC). According to new classification, variants include invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (formerly mucinous BAC), colloid, fetal, and enteric adenocarcinoma.
Mucinous adenocarcinoma and lymphoma are malignant neoplasms that may present as chronic consolidations. Lymphangitis carcinomatosa and metastasis are rare causes of the entity. Mucinous adenocarcinoma tumors grow along the alveolar wall without destroying the underlying architecture, so-called lepidic growth, combined with copious secretion of mucin, which results in consolidations.
Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma, formerly called mucinous BAC, is characteristically seen as nodule or air-space consolidations. This may accompany ground-glass opacity. After administration of an intravenous iodinated contrast agent, vessels are well shown traversing these regions (CT angiogram sign). Adenocarcinoma may spread through the airways and mimic pneumonia with patchy peribronchial or lobar consolidations.
- References
- 1. Travis WD, Brambilla E, Noguchi M, et al. International association for the study of lung cancer/american thoracic society/european respiratory society international multidisciplinary classification of lung adenocarcinoma. J Thorac Oncol 2011; 6:244-285.
2. Goo JM, Park CM, Lee HJ. Ground-glass nodules on chest CT as imaging biomarkers in the management of lung adenocarcinoma. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2011; 196:533-543.
3. Gaeta M, Vinci S, Minutoli F, et al. CT and MRI findings of mucin-containing tumors and pseudotumors of the thorax: pictorial review. Eur Radiol 2002; 12:181-189.
- Keywords
- lung, malignant tumor,