The clinical test results of computer aided detection system for lung cancer using helical CT images

摘要

We have developed a computer assisted automatic detection system for lung cancer that detects tumor candidates at an early stage form helical CT images. In July 1997, we started the comparative field trial using our system prospectively. Chest CT images obtained by helical CT scanner have drawn a great interest in the detection of suspicious regions. However, mass screening based on helical CT images leads to a considerable number of images to be diagnosed. We expect that our system can reduce the time complexity and increase diagnostic confidence. In this paper, we describe the detection results of the system for the nodules of definite diagnosis. We show the prospective results and the retrospective results. These results show that the system can detect lung cancer candidates at an early stage successfully and can be applied to a mass screening. In addition, we describe the necessity of the CAD system having the function which can be compared with the previous CT images.