Precursor lesions of adenocarcinoma lung--two case reports

Although precursor lesions of bronchogenic squamous cell carcinoma are well documented, the preinvasive lesions of pulmonary adenocarcinoma are seen very rarely. It has been hypothesized that there is a stepwise progression of alveolar epithelial hyperplasia to atypical alveolar hyperplasia and subsequently to malignancy in the pathogenesis of peripheral adenocarcinoma of the lung. In the present paper we would like to share our experience of two cases of pulmonary adenocarcinoma with their precursor lesions in the form of atypical alveolar hyperplasia.