Enhanced dual-energy CT (DE-CT) can help distinguish lung squamous cell carcinoma from adenocarcinoma, reported authors of a new study published in Academic Radiology.

Lead author Zhaotao Zhang, and colleagues found iodine quantification parameters taken from a specific phase of DE-CT scanning were “significantly” different in patients with one type of lung cancer versus another. This method can be particularly helpful in patients whose tumor tissue or cells may be difficult to gather with invasive biopsy.

“Typically, the pathological type of lung cancer can be identified by core biopsy, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, or cytological examinations,” Zhang, with The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University in China, and colleagues wrote. “However, a small portion of lung cancers are difficult to diagnose by pathology, and the pathological type of these neoplasms cannot be determined.