Cerebral metastases from lung carcinoma: neurological and CT correlation. Work in progress

To determine the role of brain CT in neurologically asymptomatic lung cancer patients, a review was made of the CT and clinical findings in 279 patients. Neurological status in these patients was categorized as (a) normal, (b) abnormal with specific signs and symptoms, and (c) abnormal with vague signs and symptoms. Brain metastases were found in 94.5% of patients (69/73) with specific abnormal neurological findings, 26.6% of patients (16/60) with vague neurological signs and symptoms, 11% of patients (10/92) with oat cell carcinoma and a normal neurological examination, and 40% of patients (8/20) with adenocarcinoma and a normal neurological examination. Brain metastasis was not seen on CT in the 29 patients with squamous cell carcinoma and a normal neurological examination. It is concluded that brain CT is useful for the detection of occult brain metastases, particularly oat cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, in neurologically asymptomatic lung cancer patients.