Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1982 Dec;35(12):1370–1379. doi: 10.1136/jcp.35.12.1370

Alveolar-cell carcinoma: a problem in sputum cytodiagnosis.

A I Spriggs, M Cole, M S Dunnill
PMCID: PMC497981  PMID: 6294147

Abstract

Cytology and histology are correlated in a series of 22 cases chosen to illustrate the differential diagnosis between clusters of benign bronchial or bronchiolar cells seen in sputum, and those of alveolar cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma with alveolar spread. Alveolar-cell carcinoma is characterised by clusters of small epithelial cells in spherical or irregular formations, none showing enough polarity to distinguish a smooth or palisaded surface. The appearances are most distinctive if vacuolation is absent. The diagnosis cannot, however, be confidently made in all cases from morphological features of cells in sputum.

Full text

PDF
1371

Images in this article

1371Image
on p.1371
1371Image
on p.1371
1371Image
on p.1371
1372Image
on p.1372
1373Image
on p.1373
1373Image
on p.1373
1374Image
on p.1374
1374Image
on p.1374
1375Image
on p.1375
1375Image
on p.1375
1375Image
on p.1375
1375Image
on p.1375
1376Image
on p.1376
1376Image
on p.1376
1377Image
on p.1377

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Adamson J. S., Senior R. M., Merrill T. Alveolar cell carcinoma. An electron microscopic study. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1969 Oct;100(4):550–557. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1969.100.4.550. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bedrossian C. W., Weilbaecher D. G., Bentinck D. C., Greenberg S. D. Ultrastructure of human bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma. Cancer. 1975 Oct;36(4):1399–1413. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197510)36:4<1399::aid-cncr2820360432>3.0.co;2-s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Coalson J. J., Mohr J. A., Pirtle J. K., Dee A. L., Rhoades E. R. Electron microscopy of neoplasms in the lung with special emphasis on the alveolar cell carcinoma. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1970 Feb;101(2):181–197. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1970.101.2.181. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DUNNILL M. S. The pathology of asthma, with special reference to changes in the bronchial mucosa. J Clin Pathol. 1960 Jan;13:27–33. doi: 10.1136/jcp.13.1.27. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Delarue N. C., Anderson W., Sanders D., Starr J. Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma. A reappraisal after 24 years. Cancer. 1972 Jan;29(1):90–97. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197201)29:1<90::aid-cncr2820290115>3.0.co;2-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Greenberg S. D., Smith M. N., Spjut H. J. Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma-cell of origin. Am J Clin Pathol. 1975 Feb;63(2):153–167. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/63.2.153. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gupta R. K. Value of sputum cytology in the differential diagnosis of alveolar cell carcinoma from bronchogenic adenocarcinoma. Acta Cytol. 1981 May-Jun;25(3):255–258. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kern W. H. Cytology of hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions of terminal bronchioles and alveoli. Acta Cytol. 1965 Sep-Oct;9(5):372–379. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kuhn C. Fine structure of bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma. Cancer. 1972 Oct;30(4):1107–1118. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197210)30:4<1107::aid-cncr2820300432>3.0.co;2-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Marcq M., Galy P. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. Clinicopathologic relationships, natural history, and prognosis in 29 cases. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1973 Apr;107(4):621–629. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1973.107.4.621. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. NAYLOR B., RAILEY C. A PITFALL IN THE CYTODIAGNOSIS OF SPUTUM OF ASTHMATICS. J Clin Pathol. 1964 Jan;17:84–89. doi: 10.1136/jcp.17.1.84. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Nash G., Langlinais P. C., Greenawald K. A. Alveolar cell carcinoma: does it exist? Cancer. 1972 Feb;29(2):322–326. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197202)29:2<322::aid-cncr2820290209>3.0.co;2-t. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. PHILPS F. R. Appearances which may cause confusion in the diagnosis of bronchial carcinoma from sputum examination. Br J Cancer. 1954 Sep;8(3):422–426. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1954.44. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. PHILPS F. R. Vacuolated cells in the sputum simulating adenocarcinoma cells. Br J Cancer. 1956 Mar;10(1):24–25. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1956.3. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ramirez J., Schwartz B., Dowell A. R., Lee S. D. Biochemical composition of human pulmonary washings. Arch Intern Med. 1971 Mar;127(3):395–400. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Roger V., Nasiell M., Linden M., Enstad I. Cytologic differential diagnosis of bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma and bronchogenic adenocarcinoma. Acta Cytol. 1976 Jul-Aug;20(4):303–307. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Singh G., Katyal S. L., Torikata C. Carcinoma of type II pneumocytes: immunodiagnosis of a subtype of "bronchioloalveolar carcinomas". Am J Pathol. 1981 Feb;102(2):195–208. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Steinmann G., Greul W. Factors in the cytological diagnosis of alveolar cell carcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1980;98(2):203–211. doi: 10.1007/BF00405964. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Tao L. C., Delarue N. C., Sanders D., Weisbrod G. Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma: a correlative clinical and cytologic study. Cancer. 1978 Dec;42(6):2759–2767. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197812)42:6<2759::aid-cncr2820420635>3.0.co;2-#. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES