Significance of Unilateral Enlargement of the Hilus Shadow in the Early Diagnosis of Carcinoma of the Lung

The Natural History of Untreated Lung Cancer

“…Such cases are first manifest in the roentgenogram by a unilateral increase in the hilum size or by a perihilar mass. 15 The shadow represents the extrabronchial tumor portion, often much larger than its endobronchial origin. Such changes are often difficult to distinguish because of the great variation in hilum size occurring in many individuals as a result of vascular or inflammatory changes, but can often be determined if comparison with films made before the tumor appeared is undertaken.…”