VALUE OF SPUTUM CYTOLOGY IN THE DIFFERENTIAL-DIAGNOSIS OF ALVEOLAR CELL-CARCINOMA FROM BRONCHOGENIC ADENOCARCINOMA

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 25  (3) , 255-258
Abstract
Ninety [human] cases of pulmonary adenocarcinoma diagnosed by consecutive sputum cytology were reviewed in order to estimate the possibility of a correct differential diagnosis of alveolar cell carcinoma (bronchioloalveolar) from bronchogenic adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis by sputum cytology in all cases was correlated with data from a subsequent biopsy, operation or autopsy. Using certain specific differential diagnostic cytologic parameters, striking differences were noted in the exfoliated cells in sputum samples; these related to cell size, clustering effects, pleomorphism, mucin production, cytoplasm, nuclei and nucleoli. Sputum cytology is not only a valuable method of detecting malignant cell but can also be quite useful to correctly type all cases of alveolar cell carcinoma and 93.75% cases of bronchogenic adenocarcinoma.