[Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma diagnosed by bronchoalveolar lavage]

A case of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma of the lung is reported. A 63-year-old man identified during a chest mass-survey program, came to our hospital for a precise examination. He had no subjective complaints though his plain chest X-ray film showed a diffuse alveolar pattern in the bilateral hilar regions mimicking a butterfly shadow. Further, cytological examinations of both the sputa and specimens from brushings obtained on bronchoscopy failed to demonstrate malignant cells, and only a cytological examination of the fluid obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) revealed the presence of a malignancy. Thus, BAL would seem to be a simple and reasonable method for the detection of suspected malignant cells in bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.