Tracheobronchial cytologic changes in malignant melanoma

Histiocytes counted in smears made from the tracheobronchial washings of 208 patients with malignant melanomas were found to be 3.12 times more numerous than in a control group comparable in sex, age (decades), and smoking habit but without any type of prediagnosed malignant lesion. The discovery of this phenomenon may lead to the development of a new method for the evaluation of therapeutic methods in patients with melanotic lesions. It may open novel pathways for the investigation of cell-mediated immunity in patients with certain forms of malignant disease.