[Sputum and the detection of pulmonary carcinoma]

During 1984-1988, 16,779 sputa from 3546 patients were studied. Minimal requirements of representability were obtained in sputa of 2500 (70.5 per cent) patients under study. Total of unsatisfactory samples reached 4812 (28.7 per cent). Even sufficiently repeated taking of sputum failed to produce any representable material from 267 patients (7.5 per cent). Carcinoma was identified in 455 cases (18.2 per cent), cytologic evaluation was verified by autopsy in 105 cases. Squamous carcinoma was found in 265 cases [58.2 per cent], accuracy was 87.9 per cent. Adenocarcinoma was found in 82 cases [18 per cent], accuracy was 100 per cent. Small cell carcinoma was found in 72 cases [15.8 per cent], precision of typing was 95.8 percent. Undifferentiated carcinoma was found in 36 cases [7.9 per cent], accuracy was 33.3 per cent. A overall accuracy of typing was 85.7 per cent. A concise characteristics of cytologic picture in basic types of lung carcinoma were presented.