Pulmonary carcinoid tumours: a clinico-pathological study of 35 cases

A clinico-pathological study of 35 bronchial carcinoid tumours was undertaken. Age, T stage, N stage, lymph node involvement, number of lymph nodes involved and number of cigarettes smoked per day were the clinical variables affecting survival. The histological variables related to survival were; mitotic count, necrosis, nuclear pleomorphism, vascular and lymphatic permeation and an undifferentiated growth pattern. All these features could be detected with routine histological stains, whereas immunocytochemical methods for demonstrating neuron specific enolase were of no help in assessing the prognosis. However there was a tendency for a well differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma to stain strongly in some areas with carcinoembryonic antigen.