The cylindrocubic carcinomas of the lung (the so-called adenocarcinomas). A histopathological analysis of 725 cases.
A histopathological and histochemical analysis of 725 cases of cylindrocubic carcinomas of the lung was performed: 570 cases were surgically removed specimens, 98 bronchial and 46 extrathoracal biopsies from unoperable cases, and 11 autopsies. Histopathology of operated cases revealed the co-existence and intrication in different proportions of immature cell areas with dense proliferations containing many giant, monstrous cells, with others trabecular, acinar, cribriform-areolar, pseudoglandular, tubular, papillar and glandular-secretory areas; most of these cellular dispositions were related to the lung stromal development (scars, fibrotic areas); 117 out of the 570 cases were independent, multicentric, true bronchiolo-alveolar carcinomas, and 48 cases were true glandular-secretory carcinomas of the large bronchi. 143 out of the 570 cases developed upon scars and fibrotic areas; in 42 out of these 143 the pericicatricial invasion was bronchiolo-alveolar-like. The study of small tumors and of bronchial biopsies revealed mostly the peripheral origin of these cylindrocubic carcinomas from the bronchial covering epithelia of small, nonglandular bronchi. The term of adenocarcinoma does not correspond to the predominant histological picture of these lung tumors, and the so-called subtypes of the WHO typing are currently represented in the same tumors concomitantly and in various proportions. The histodiagnosis of these lung carcinomas is facilitated by the presence of well differentiated, glandular-secretory areas and has to be based upon the predominant aspects of the tumoral growth.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D009626:Terminology as Topic