LIMITS OF VISIBILITY OF BRONCHOGENIC CARCINOMA

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Abstract
In a representative sample of solitary pulmonary carcinomas, none was smaller than 1 cm. A carcinoma smaller than 1 cm cannot be diagnosed roentgenologically with standard methods. This is not a statistical artifact. Most lesions remain between 0.3 and 1 cm in diameter for over 9 months, before which time they cannot be found on surveys. Earlier diagnosis is made impossible because the background of the normal chest film has confusing small detail of up to 1 cm in size that merges with these small and faint densities. Malignant lesions grow irregularly so that the mass of the lesion is spread out through a larger volume than that of a solid tumor of equal mass. This makes the image of the tumor faint and indistinct until it reaches sufficient bulk.

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