Abstract
In 1958, Nash and Stout reported an unusual pathological variety of primary carcinomas of the lung and they named it giant cell carcinoma of the lung. Eight cases of a giant cell variety of carcinoma of the lung were identified clinically and pathologically among about 500 cases of primary carcinomas of the lung seen in our hospital since 1972.
In terms of prognosis, giant cell carcinoma of the lung is more malignant than small cell carcinoma of the lung, and the average interval from clinical recognition of the tumor to death was only 7.7 months. Only one patient of the eight with giant cell carcinoma of the lung is surviving 4 years and 6 months after operation. The mean age was 55, ranging from 41 to 70.
Laboratory data showed marked elavation of WBC and ESR in the eight patients, and four of them also developed general symptoms such as high fever and malaise.
On X-ray the eight cases were nodular in shape and peripheral in location.Histological findings showed three cellular components, i.e. giant carcinoma cells, round mononuclear cells, and spindle cells. The tumor, in addition, is usually infiltrated by inflammatory cells, and acdenonlatous and squamous patterns are variously mixed.
