Abstract
Cytological studies on broncoalveolar lavaged macrophages and lymphocytes obtained in the fiberoptic bronchoscope were performed in 24 patients with lung cancer, eleven patients with lung tuberculosis, seven patients with chronic bronchitis and 19 control subjects.
The results were as follows:
1) The proportion of alveolar macrophages in the lung cancer and lung tuberculosis groups showed no significant difference compared with that of the control group. In the lung cancer group, a significant decrease in the proportion of lavage lymphocytes was observed compared with the control group, and a decrease in the percentage of lavaged T-lymphocytes forming rosettes with sheep erythrocytes was found.
2) The alveolar macrophages were all shown to be positive for acid alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) staining, and to differ in ANAE staining patterns. However there was no recognizable difference in the distribution of ANAE staining cell patterns of each disease group and the control group.
3) Lavaged lymphocytes appeared as 61.0% single or scattered spotted ANAE staining positive cells and 38. 8% ANAE negative cells in the control group. In the lung cancer group, the proportion of ANAE positive cells was lower than in the control group. The proportion of lavaged ANAE positive lymphocytes correlated well with the percentage of lavaged T-lymphocytes.
