[The liquefactive behavior of bronchial carcinomas and their metastases from the radiological viewpoint]

Necrosis in bronchial carcinomas and in their soft tissue metastases was studied in 368 patients by means of CT and ultrasound. In primary bronchial carcinomas (59 cases) there was clear correlation between tumour necrosis and the histology. There was a significant preponderance amongst squamous carcinomas, whereas small cell carcinomas rarely show radiologically visible necrosis (p less than 0.01). Amongst metastases in the liver (128 cases), central nervous system (164 cases) and suprarenals (23 cases) there was no correlation between histology and the recurrence of necrosis. Necrosis in deposits in suprarenals and in the brain depends on the size of the lesion and could be demonstrated in more than 50% of cases. Liver metastases show necrosis in less than 5% of the cases by the imaging methods used.