Can computed tomography differentiate adenocarcinoma in situ from minimally invasive adenocarcinoma?

Abstract Background Given the subtle pathological signs of adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), effective differentiation between the two entities is crucial. However, it is difficult to predict these conditions using preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging. In this study, we investigated whether histological diagnosis of AIS and MIA using quantitative three‐dimensional CT imaging analysis could be predicted. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the images and histopathological findings of patients with lung cancer who were diagnosed with AIS or MIA between January 2017 and June 2018. We used Synapse Vincent (v. 4.3) (Fujifilm) software to analyze the CT attenuation values and performed a histogram analysis. Results There were 22 patients with AIS and 22 with MIA. The ground‐glass nodule (GGN) rate was significantly higher in patients with AIS (p