Lung cancer. Symptoms, signs and diagnostic criteria.
A consecutive hospital series of 1 053 patients treated for lung cancer during the period 1962 through 1971 has been studied. Clinical symptoms were present more often in men than in women and in 42% symptoms had been noted more than 6 months prior to the diagnosis. Peripheral tumours gave less symptoms than central ones. Although in 22% of the patients the tumour was discovered on a chest film in the absence of relevant symptoms, 12% only had been detected by regular mass X-ray screening. More than 40% of the peripherally located tumours were clinically silent. Squamous cell and anaplastic small cell cancers were predominantly centrally located (80 and 90%, respectively) against 65% and 74% for adenocarcinomas and undifferentiated large cell tumours.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008400:Mass Chest X-Ray; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000150:complications