Bronchial cancer - a clinical and pathological study. I. Histopathology and metastases

Among 16,394 necropsies during the 12-year period, 1958-1969 (representing about 60% of all persons who died in Malmö during this period, 747 cases of bronchial cancer were found in 744 individuals. There were considerable differences in frequency of different histologic types with regard to sex. Two main classes have therefore been distinguished: Group I, comprising squamous epithelial cancer and anaplastic cancer (including oat-cell cancer), which was predominant among men; and Group II, comprising adenocarcinoma, bronchiolar carcinoma, carcinoid and bronchial gland tumour, which was of more or less equal frequency in both sexes. Compared with other malignant tumours, bronchial carcinoma had a strong tendency to metastasise to the adrenals, brain, kidneys and skeleton. Bronchial cancer did not differ from other tumours with regard to lymphogenous spread but had a stronger tendency to spread via the blood stream. Squamous epithelial cancer showed the strongest tendency to remain confined to the thoracic cavity.