Advances in CT-based study of lymphatic drainage and mediastinal lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer
10.13491/j.issn.1004-714X.2024.04.020
- VernacularTitle:非小细胞肺癌淋巴引流与纵隔淋巴结转移的CT研究进展
- Author:
Yanru KANG
1
;
Jialin SONG
2
;
Wencheng LYU
3
;
Hua ZHANG
1
Author Information
1. School of Clinical and Basic Medicine, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250117 China.
2. Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001 China.
3. Department of Radiology, Jiaozhou Branch of Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University, Qingdao 266300 China.
- Publication Type:ReviewArticles
- Keywords:
Non-small cell lung cancer;
Mediastinal lymph node;
Lymphatic drainage;
Radiomics
- From:
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health
2024;33(4):472-477
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Mediastinal lymph node metastasis is a common metastasis pathway of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and its occurrence is closely related to lymphatic drainage pattern. NSCLC in different pulmonary lobes requires different lymphatic drainage patterns, which poses a challenge for the formulation of individualized treatment strategies. Accurate staging is the prerequisite for precision treatment of NSCLC. Computed tomography (CT) examination is an important tool for evaluating mediastinal lymph node metastasis, which is crucial for making treatment plan and evaluating patient prognosis. However, it is difficult to diagnose metastatic lymph nodes with insignificant imaging features, especially metastatic lymph nodes in zone 4 and zone 7, which are hot spots for mediastinal lymph node metastasis. However, clinical guidelines do not make clear provisions on lymph node dissection in zone 4, which makes preoperative clinical staging and prognosis evaluation of patients with NSCLC particularly important. By integrating and analyzing a large amount of data in CT images, the emerging CT radiomics technology captures subtle features that may be overlooked in conventional CT scans, showing great application prospects in improving the accuracy of non-invasive diagnosis of lymph node metastasis. This review aims to explore the mediastinal drainage pattern and the role of CT in evaluating mediastinal lymph node metastasis, in order to provide valuable imaging evidence for accurately judging mediastinal lymph node metastasis of NSCLC, formulating appropriate lymph node dissection scope, optimizing treatment strategy, and improving patient prognosis.
