Clinical Value of Bronchoscopic Examination in the Diagnosis of Cancer of the Lung

기관지경검사의 폐암진단에 관한 임상적 의의

Two-hundred and eighteen patients were taken bronchoscopy to evaluate the value of bronchoscopic diagnosis in the lung cancer patient at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Kyung-pook University Hospital. Ninety-eight eases of these patients were studied for possible lung cancer by bronchoscopic examination, biopsy and bronchial cytologv. The results were obtained as follows: Two-hundred and eighteen patients were taken bronchoscopy to evaluate the value of bronchoscopic diagnosis in the lung cancer patient at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Kyung-pook University Hospital. Ninety-eight eases of these patients were studied for possible lung cancer by bronchoscopic examination, biopsy and bronchial cytologv. The results were obtained as follows: 1) Forty-five (55.5%) of 81 cases impressed as definitive, and six (35. 3%) of 17 cases impressed as probable lung cancer were subsequently proved to have lung cancer. This represents a total of 51 cases (52. 0%) of 98 patients. 2) Twenty-six (51.0%) of 51 patients were proved by bronchoscopic biopsy and cytology. 3) The positive rates of bronchoscopic biopsy were higher in the lesions on tile intermediate bronchus, carina and main stem bronchi by bronchoscopy, and also in the hilar than in peripheral lesions by X-ray finding and in histologically undifferentiated cell carcinoma than in adenocarcinoma. 4) The positive diagnosis rates of bronchoscopic aspirate were not correlated to the locations of cancer lesions. 5) Thirty- nine percent of 51 case3 were visualized definitive tumor mass and obstructive lesions under bronchoscopy. 6) Patient of lung cancer varied in age from 27 to 77 years, with highest concentration lying in the 5th decade (43.0%). Forty-seven patients were men and 4 were women giving a proportion of men to women, 12: 1 7) Sixty-five percent of proved lung cancer patients were diagnosed as operable cases. Fifty-three percent of explored patients were resected. These results conclude that bronchoscopy is of a considerable value as a diagnostic procedure in these lung cancer patients.