[The time necessary for establishing a morphological diagnosis in patients with inoperable lung cancer]

The authors analyze the time period necessary for morphological diagnosis in 100 consecutive patients with inoperable lung cancer admitted for treatment to the Department of pulmonology and tuberculosis of the Szczecin Medical Academy from 1989 through 1990. The following methods were used: cytological examination of sputum, bronchoscopy, fiber bronchoscopy, transthoracic biopsy by a thin needle, biopsy of the metastatic focus and cytological examination of the pleural cavity fluid. The causes of inoperability were: tumour histobiology variants (anaplastic small-cell cancer), cardiovascular failure and technical in operability. The diagnosis was established in all patients averagely within 16 days of hospital stay. More frequently the diagnostic material was obtained by means of bronchoscopy, then cytological examination of the sputum and transthoracic biopsy. In some patients without symptoms it is expedient to carry out diagnostic procedures in outpatient condition which is of economic importance.