[Surgery of bronchial cancer and demands on radiology]

The most important demand the surgeon can make in respect of the radiologist's work is earliest possible diagnosis of lung cancer. Secondly, the surgeon is always grateful for any pointer leading to diagnosis of the type (and status) of the tumor. This supplies decisive information for both operative planning and perioperative technique. For example, it is essential to know, if x-ray reveals a circular focus, whether this represents tuberculosis of a carcinoma. In case of tuberculosis, drug treatment will be prescribed perioperatively, and the site of operation is limited as much as possible, whereas bronchial carcinoma requires immediate surgery which should be as radical as possible.