Correlations of thin-section computed tomographic, histopathological, and clinical findings of adenocarcinoma with a bubblelike appearance.

Objective: We reported that adenocarcinomas with a bubblelike appearance (BLA) appear similar to old inflammation (J Comput Assist Tomogr 2009; 33: 42-48). The histopathological, clinical, and biological characteristics of adenocarcinomas with BLA need more investigation. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 26 patients who had undergone surgical resection between 1993 and 2008. We analyzed correlations between thin-section computed tomographic (TS-CT), histopathological, and clinical findings. We analyzed epidermal growth factor receptor and K-ras gene mutations. Results: The TS-CT findings are unique with one pattern that was the same in all the 26 cases: (1) polygonal with straight and concave margins, (2) slight peripheral ground-glass opacity areas, (3) 3 or more dilated air bronchograms, and (4) clear pleural indentations. The histopathological findings were identical with our TS-CT findings. The mean tumor doubling time was 1165 days. Epidermal growth factor receptor mutations were observed in 17 cases. There were no K-ras mutations. After resection, the 5-year survival rate is 100%. Conclusion: The adenocarcinomas with BLA have unique TS-CT, histopathological, and clinical findings.