Abstract
The clinical and histopathological findings are presented on four cases of idiopathic diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis in which carcinoma of the lung developed.
1) All four patients were male with a mean age of 67 years, and the chest X-ray of them revealed tumor shadows following reticulo-linear and fine nodular infiltrates.
2) Cell types of carcinoma in the four cases were two cases of squamous cell carcinoma and each one case of alveolar cell carcinoma and small cell undifferentiated, carcinoma
3) It is suggested that the carcinoma of the lung in these cases developed from the scarring and bronchiolo-alveolar epithelial hyperplasia which occurred in diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis.
4) In three of the presented four cases, the reticulo-linear and fine nodular opacities in fluororoentgenogram were failed to notice until tumor shadows appeared in it. Accordingly, we should pay our attentions not only to the tuberculous lesions but also to the findings of diffuse interstitial pneumonia or fibrosis when we read fluororoentgenogram.
5) Diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis with lung cancer have been reported chiefly from the histopathological standpoint. Much attention, however, should be given to this problem from the clinical standpoint, as it is very necessary to make an early diagnosis and treatment for diffuse interstitial pneumonia in order to prevent the developement of lung cancer.
