[Studies of resected small lung cancer associated with intrapulmonary metastasis]

We studied on intrapulmonary metastasis in 6 out of 136 cases where the resection for lung cancer was performed at Fukui Red Cross Hospital from 1984 to 1990. Four out of 6 were small lung cancer cases. The histological types were as follows: 4 adenocarcinomas and 2 squamous cell carcinomas. In adenocarcinoma cases, intrapulmonary metastasis tended to scatter to other pulmonary lobe and to increase in number. On the other hand, in squamous cell carcinoma cases, intrapulmonary metastasis was solitary and localized in the same pulmonary lobe as that of the primary lesion. Two squamous cell carcinoma cases were alive, and one of these was alive for more than 4 years in small lung cancer cases. It is suggested that in cases of intrapulmonary metastasis localized in the same pulmonary lobe as that of the primary lesion, to be expected metastatic route to be included in resected lobe, surgical operation is recommended, especially in squamous cell carcinoma cases.