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. 2014 Oct;6(Suppl 5):S581–S588. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2014.07.41

Table 1. Comparison of recent classification schemata for lung adenocarcinoma.

WHO 2004 (17) IASLC/ATS/ERS classification of lung adenocarcinoma [2011] (3) Our recommendation
Pre-invasive lesions Pre-invasive lesions Preinvasive lesions
   ➢ Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) (≤0.5 cm)    ➢ Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) (≤0.5 cm)    ➢ Adenocarcinoma in situ (≤0.5 cm; formerly AAH)
   ➢ Adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) (≤3 cm; formerly BAC)
Adenocarcinoma Invasive adenocarcinoma Invasive adenocarcinoma
   ➢ Mixed subtype    ➢ Mininmally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA; ≤3 cm bronchioloalveolar predominant tumor with ≤5 mm invasion)    ➢ Growth patterns in approximate %
   ➢ Acinar adenocarcinoma    ➢ Lepidic predominant (formerly nonmucinous BAC pattern, with >5 mm invasion)
   ➢ Papillary adenocarcinoma    ➢ Acinar predominant
   ➢ Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma    ➢ Papillary predominant
      ▪ Nonmucinous    ➢ Micropapillary predominant
      ▪ Mucinous    ➢ Solid predominant with mucin production
      ▪ Mixed nonmucinous and mucinous or indeterminate
   ➢ Solid adenocarcinoma with mucin production
Variants of adenocarcinoma Variants of invasive adenocarcinoma
   ➢ Fetal adenocarcinoma    ➢ Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (formerly mucinous BAC)
   ➢ Mucinous (“colloid”) carcinoma    ➢ Colloid
   ➢ Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma    ➢ Fetal (low and high grade)
   ➢ Signet ring adenocarcinoma    ➢ Enteric
   ➢ Clear cell adenocarcinoma