L ung cancer accounts for 1.59 million deaths per year worldwide (1). It has one of the poorest survival outcomes of all cancers, with over two-thirds of patients diagnosed at an advanced stage, when curative treatment is no longer feasible. Early diagnosis of lung cancer is the main goal to improve survival. Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at an operable stage have higher survival rates than those presenting with metastatic disease, with five-year survival of 71%-77% for stage IA and 58% for stage IB (2).Initial identification of lung cancer in asymptomatic patients usually occurs on chest radiography or chest computed tomography (CT). When missed on imaging, lung cancer is inclined to progress from early-stage to advanced-stage disease, particularly if many years pass between radiologic exams (3), with potential medicolegal consequences.Legal actions involving malignancies of the bronchus or lung represent the sixth most common medicolegal issue, and among radiologists it is the second most common cause for litigation (4). About 90% of presumed mistakes in pulmonary tumor diagnosis occurred on chest radiography, only 5% on CT examinations, and the remaining 5% on other imaging studies (4).Awareness of the possible causes for overlooking a pulmonary lesion can help radiologists to reduce the occurrence of this eventuality. In this review, we analyze factors leading to a misdiagnosis of lung cancer mainly on chest radiography, and we discuss the impact of misdiagnosis on prognosis, its medicolegal implications, and methods to reduce the incidence of missed lung cancer. Finally, we briefly analyze the possible causes of errors on CT scans and potential aids. Factors leading to missed lung cancer on chest radiographyFormerly, different authors recognized the burden of missed lung cancer on radiography of the thorax. Indeed, early studies on the analysis of factors leading to overlooked lung lesions date back to the middle of last century. Despite extensive technological advancement, this issue is currently present and not much has changed since then. Factors that contribute to missed lung cancer on chest X-ray can be classified as deriving from observer error, tumor characteristics, and technical considerations. C H E S T I MAG I N G R E V I E W ABSTRACTMissed lung cancer is a source of concern among radiologists and an important medicolegal challenge. In 90% of the cases, errors in diagnosis of lung cancer occur on chest radiographs. It may be challenging for radiologists to distinguish a lung lesion from bones, pulmonary vessels, mediastinal structures, and other complex anatomical structures on chest radiographs. Nevertheless, lung cancer can also be overlooked on computed tomography (CT) scans, regardless of the context, either if a clinical or radiologic suspect exists or for other reasons. Awareness of the possible causes of overlooking a pulmonary lesion can give radiologists a chance to reduce the occurrence of this eventuality. Various factors contribute to a misdiagnosis of lung cancer ...

Hemoptysis is the expectoration of blood that originates from the lower respiratory tract. It is usually a self-limiting event but in fewer than 5% of cases it may be massive, representing a life-threatening condition that warrants urgent investigations and treatment. This article aims to provide a comprehensive literature review on hemoptysis, analyzing its causes and pathophysiologic mechanisms, and providing details about anatomy and imaging of systemic bronchial and nonbronchial arteries responsible for hemoptysis. Strengths and limits of chest radiography, bronchoscopy, multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), MDCT angiography and digital subtraction angiography to assess the cause and lead the treatment of hemoptysis were reported, with particular emphasis on MDCT angiography. Treatment options for recurrent or massive hemoptysis were summarized, highlighting the predominant role of bronchial artery embolization. Finally, a guide was proposed for managing massive and nonmassive hemoptysis, according to the most recent medical literature.

The incidence of indeterminate pulmonary nodules has risen constantly over the past few years. Determination of lung nodule malignancy is pivotal, because the early diagnosis of lung cancer could lead to a definitive intervention. According to the current international guidelines, size and growth rate represent the main indicators to determine the nature of a pulmonary nodule. However, there are some limitations in evaluating and characterising nodules when only their dimensions are taken into account. There is no single method for measuring nodules, and intrinsic errors, which can determine variations in nodule measurement and in growth assessment, do exist when performing measurements either manually or with automated or semi-automated methods. When considering subsolid nodules the presence and size of a solid component is the major determinant of malignancy and nodule management, as reported in the latest guidelines. Nevertheless, other nodule morphological characteristics have been associated with an increased risk of malignancy. In addition, the clinical context should not be overlooked in determining the probability of malignancy. Predictive models have been proposed as a potential means to overcome the limitations of a sized-based assessment of the malignancy risk for indeterminate pulmonary nodules.

Highlights The awareness of imaging findings of COVID-19 pneumonia and their relationship with pathogenesis is useful in providing a confident diagnosis. Chest X-ray might be used as first-line imaging modality in the areas with high prevalence of disease. HRCT plays a pivotal role in the assessment of complications and differential diagnosis with other infectious and non- infectious lung disease.