Clinicopathological Study of Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma Subtypes by Analysis of 79 Non-operative Autopsy Cases

Abstract

A total of 79 non-operative autopsy cases of pulmonary adenocarcinoma were classified according to the cytological subtypes of Shimosato et al. (1982) to examine the correlation to survival period and frequency of metastasis. 1) The bronchial surface cell type with little or no mucus showed the longest survival period. The mean survival period was long even in stage N. Pulmonary metastasis was relatively frequent. 2) Frequency of pulmonary metastasis was highest in the goblet cell type, but the mean survival period was as long as that of the bronchial surface cell type. 3) Both lymph node metastasis and pleuritis carcinomatosa were most frequently observed in cases of the bronchial gland cell type, and the survival period was the shortest among all subtypes. 4) The Clara cell type showed relatively frequent pleuritis carcinomatosa and the prognosis was relatively poor, but the survival period of individual case was distributed over a very wide range. 5) Cases which were difficult to classify (undetermined type) showed frequent pleuritis carcinomatosa, lymph node metastases, intrapulmonary metastases and short survival.