Impulse oscillometry system and pulmonary function test assessment of the impact of tumor location, staging, and pathological type on lung function in primary lung cancer

To study the effects of tumor site, stage, pathologic type and imaging findings on lung function in primary lung cancer, as well as the correlation between impulse oscillometry system (IOS) and pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters.

The impact of tumor location, staging, and pathological type on lung function were evaluated in 219 patients with primary lung cancer through IOS and PFT. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between IOS parameters and PFT parameters.

The PFT parameters in adenocarcinoma were significantly higher than those in SCLC, while the other parameters in IOS were obviously lower than those in SCLC except X_5Hz (P < 0.05). The PFT parameters of FVC%, FEV1% and MVV% in SCC were evidently higher than those in SCLC, while the parameters of IOS were significantly lower than those in SCLC (P < 0.05). The PFT parameters of adenocarcinoma were higher than those of SCC (P < 0.05). In the PFT parameters of stage I patients, FEV1/FVC%, MEF50%, MMEF75/25%, and DLCO% were markedly higher than those of stage II patients, and FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, MEF50%, MEF25%, PEF%, MMEF75/25%, TLC%, and DLCO% were obviously higher than those of stage III and IV patients; and the MVV%, Z_5Hz%, R_5Hz% in IOS parameters were obviously lower than those in stage III, while Fres (1/s) and X_5Hz were significantly lower than those in stage IV (P < 0.05). Compared with Phase IV, the X_5Hz of stage II patients was clearly higher (P = 0.023). Besides, PFT parameters of peripheral lung cancer were obviously higher than those of central lung cancer (P < 0.05), while Z_5Hz%, Fres (1/s) and R_5Hz% of IOS parameters were clearly lower than those of central lung cancer (P < 0.05). Moreover, for patients without and with other pulmonary imaging manifestations, the PFT parameters of the former were significantly higher than those of the latter (P < 0.05), while only Fres (1/s) of IOS parameters was significantly lower than the latter (P < 0.05). Furthermore, there is a low to moderate correlation between IOS parameters and PFT parameters.

Patients with central SCLC and SCC and advanced lung cancer had the worst lung function. The IOS parameters show a good correlation with the traditional PFT parameters, and IOS can be used as an alternative measurement method for PFT when necessary.