Thin-section CT as an optimal diagnostic tool in the evaluation of dry pleural dissemination in non-small cell lung cancer.

摘要

We read with great interest the article by Dr Kim and colleagues (1), "Dry Pleural Dissemination in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Prognostic and Diagnostic Implications," which appeared in the August 2011 issue of Radiology. In that retrospective study, the median survival of patients with dry pleural dissemination (DPD) after initial presentation was almost 2 years longer than that in patients with wet pleural dissemination (WPD). Although nearly 90% of primary lung cancers were adenocarcinoma in both groups, the DPD group received different treatment after diagnosis than the WPD group (P < .05) (1). This might have influenced the prognosis and created selection bias.