Incidence and significance of serendipitous CT findings in the oncologic patient.

One-thousand computed tomograms of the abdomen, chest, and pelvis in oncologic patients were reviewed to determine the incidence of serendipitous findings and their impact on clinical management. The incidence of serendipitous findings was 30% in thorax, 24% in both genitourinary and osseous structures, 23% in the abdomen, and 21% in the retroperitoneum. These serendipitous abnormalities changed clinical management or required further diagnostic procedures (thus, they were considered significant) in less than 1% of the abdominal to 12% in osseous findings.