Diagnostic application of nuclear DNA measurements on bronchial secretions

Bronchial washings from 254 patients with suspected pulmonary malignancy were investigated independently by two methods: bronchial cytologic examination and DNA measurements. For the latter, aneuploidy was used as a criterion of malignancy. At the time of the clinical follow-up, pulmonary malignancy had been verified by histopathologic examination in 91 of these 254 patients. For bronchial cytology the sensitivity was 40% and the specificity was 98%; for the DNA measurements the sensitivity was 37% and the specificity was 99%. Used in combination, the two methods showed a sensitivity of 46% and a specificity of 98%.