Table 2.
Number of lung cancer cases (No.) and distributions (%) of diagnostic examinations on the lung within three months (after or before) from diagnosis in the four countries with information on diagnostic work-up.
| Total cases | Belgium | Estonia | Portugal | Spain | χ 2 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | p-valuea | |
| All cases | 3,873 | (100.0) | 501 | (100.0) | 699 | (100.0) | 1,433 | (100.0) | 1,240 | (100.0) | |
| Conventional chest imaging (Radiography, CT, stratigraphy) | <0.001 | ||||||||||
| Done | 2,635 | (68.0) | 451 | (90.0) | 478 | (64.4) | 646 | (45.1) | 1,060 | (85.5) | |
| Not done | 195 | (5.0) | 0 | (0.0) | 51 | (7.3) | 1 | (0.1) | 143 | (11.5) | |
| Unknown | 1,043 | (27.0) | 50 | (10.0) | 170 | (24.3) | 786 | (54.8) | 37 | (3.0) | |
| Spiral CT b | <0.001 | ||||||||||
| Done | 2,877 | (74.3) | 474 | (94.6) | 534 | (76.4) | 707 | (49.3) | 1,162 | (93.7) | |
| Not done | 464 | (12.0) | 15 | (3.0) | 9 | (1.3) | 400 | (28.0) | 40 | (3.2) | |
| Unknown | 532 | (13.7) | 12 | (2.4) | 156 | (22.3) | 326 | (22.7) | 38 | (3.1) | |
| PETc | |||||||||||
| Done | 1,368 | (35.3) | 298 | (59.5) | 56 | (8.0) | 459 | (32.0) | 555 | (44.8) | |
| Not done | 1,453 | (37.5) | 200 | (39.9) | 486 | (69.5) | 127 | (8.9) | 640 | (51.6) | |
| Unknown | 1,052 | (27.2) | 3 | (0.6) | 157 | (22.5) | 847 | (59.1) | 45 | (3.6) | |
| Magnetic resonance imaging | <0.001 | ||||||||||
| Done | 262 | (6.8) | 0 | (0.0) | 16 | (2.3) | 151 | (10.5) | 95 | (7.7) | |
| Not done | 1,993 | (51.5) | 0 | (0.0) | 529 | (75.7) | 369 | (25.8) | 1,095 | (88.3) | |
| Unknown | 1,618 | (41.8) | 501 | (100.0) | 154 | (22.0) | 913 | (63.7) | 50 | (4.0) | |
| Bronchoscopy | |||||||||||
| Done | 2,447 | (63.2) | 405 | (80.8) | 376 | (53.8) | 808 | (56.4) | 858 | (69.2) | |
| Not done | 717 | (18.5) | 94 | (18.8) | 157 | (22.5) | 117 | (8.2) | 349 | (28.1) | |
| Unknown | 709 | (18.3) | 2 | (0.4) | 166 | (23.7) | 508 | (35.5) | 33 | (2.7) | |
| Mediastinoscopy | <0.001 | ||||||||||
| Done | 182 | (4.7) | 46 | (9.2) | 18 | (2.6) | 8 | (0.6) | 110 | (8.9) | |
| Not done | 2,493 | (64. 4) | 453 | (90.4) | 523 | (74.8) | 432 | (30.1) | 1,085 | (87.5) | |
| Unknown | 1,198 | (30.9) | 2 | (0.4) | 158 | (22.6) | 993 | (69.3) | 45 | (3.6) | |
| Endobronchial ultrasound | <0.001 | ||||||||||
| Done | 490 | (12.7) | 87 | (17.4) | 62 | (8.9) | 2 | (0.1) | 339 | (27.3) | |
| Not done | 2,193 | (56.6) | 412 | (82.2) | 482 | (68.9) | 434 | (30.3) | 865 | (69.8) | |
| Unknown | 1,190 | (30.7) | 2 | (0.4) | 155 | (22.2) | 997 | (69.6) | 36 | (2.9) | |
| Any endoscopy d | <0.001 | ||||||||||
| Done | 2,551 | (65.9) | 438 | (87.4) | 396 | (56.7) | 814 | (56.8) | 903 | (72.8) | |
| Not done/unknown | 1,322 | (34.1) | 63 | (12.6) | 303 | (43.3) | 619 | (43.2) | 337 | (27.2) | |
| Combined diagnostic examination | <0.001 | ||||||||||
| Conventional chest imaging only | 89 | (2.3) | 4 | (0.8) | 7 | (1.0) | 60 | (4.2) | 18 | (1.5) | |
| Spiral CT or PET or MRIe + Any endoscopy | 2,551 | (65.9) | 438 | (87.4) | 396 | (56.7) | 814 | (56.7) | 903 | (72.8) | |
| Spiral CT or PET or MRI | 845 | (21.8) | 50 | (10.0) | 146 | (20.9) | 359 | (25.1) | 290 | (23.4) | |
| Not done/unknown | 388 | (10.0) | 9 | (1.8) | 150 | (21.4) | 200 | (14.0) | 29 | (2.3) | |
a
χ2 tested the between country statistical significance of the differences in the proportions.
b
Spiral computed tomography.
c
Positron emission tomography.
d
Diagnostic endoscopic examinations: bronchoscopy or mediastinoscopy or endobronchial ultrasound.
e
Magnetic resonance imaging.