1980 Volume 19 Issue 4 Pages 539-545
A total number of 2, 437 high risk subjects, who were mainly males, 40 years or older and chronic heavy smokers, have been examined to detect centrally located lung cancer by sputum cytology.
4, 123 specimens have been examined. There were 504 unsatisfactory specimens (19.7%) out of 2, 553 specimens as detected by Post Tube method, in contrast, there were only 20 unsatisfactory specimens (1.3%) out of 1, 570 specimens as detected by Saccomanno method. Those results demonstrate Saccomanno method is more effective than Post Tube method for cytological mass screening of lung cancer.
Results from 3, 599 satisfactory specimens were as follows there were 3, 249 normal specimens (90.3%), squamous metaplasia with mild atypia 286 (7.9%), squamous metaplasia with moderate atypia 29 (0.8%), squamous metaplasia with marked atypia 1, atypia of glander epithelium cells 34 (6.9%), and malignant cells 0.
Tow subjects were proved, in X-ray examination during the surveys, to have peripheral lung cancer. It is considered that periodical cytological examination of sputum for several years is necessary to detect centrally located lung cancer.
