Tuberc Respir Dis.  1987 Dec;34(4):293-301. 10.4046/trd.1987.34.4.293.

Sputum Cytology for the Diagnosis of Carcinoma of the Lung

• KMID: 2528635
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1987.34.4.293

Abstract

Exfoliative sputum cytology is a simple and useful diagnostic test for lung cancer in the detectionof malignant cells and the identification of the histologic type of malignancy. From 151 consecutive patients, (125 males and 26 females, with histologically proven primary carcinoma of the lung, one to six consecutive morning sputa were obtained and examined cytologically from January 1985 to June 1987 at the Department of Internal Medicine of Hanyang University Hospital in Korea. Relations between cytologic diagnoses of the sputa and location, size, clinical stage, and histologic types of lung carcinomas were analysed, and the following results were obtained. 1) The 94 tumors located in the central portion and 55 tumors in the peripheral: 49 of the 70 squamous cell carcinomas and 29 of the 37 small cell carcinomas were central in location and 18 of the 26 adenocarcinomas and 6 of the 8 large cell carcinomas were located in the peripheral portion. 2) The sensitivity of cytologic diagnoses was not significant statistically according to the site, diameter and stage of lung carcinomas. There were 2 cases of occult carcinoma of pulmonary carcmoma. 3) The overall sensitivity related to histologic typing of carcinoma of the lung was 56%, ranging from 64% in squamous cell carcinoma to 46% in adenocarcinoma. 4) The overall typing accuracy was 85.7%, ranging from 98% in squamous cell carcinoma to 25% in large cell carcinoma. 5) Cytologic diagnoses of cancer was made in 57.0% of 151 patients with six consecutive sputa. The sensitivity increased from 29.1% to 55.0% as numbers of sputum examination were increased.