Table 1. Patient characteristics.
| SCC | Non-malignancy | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 32 | 20 |
| Gender (male/female) | 24/8 | 15/5 |
| Age (range) | 72.4 ± 12.2 (47–85 y) | 69.1 ± 6.9 (61–78 y) |
| Tumor location (central/peripheral) | 22/10 | 0/20 |
| Chief complaint | ||
| Hemosputum | 14 | 0 |
| Cough | 8 | 0 |
| X-ray positive | 10 | 20 |
| Biopsy method (TBB/TBLB) | 22/10 | 0/20 |
| Histology | ||
| Normal epithelium | – | 10 |
| Metaplasia | – | 2 |
| Inflammatory lesion | – | 8 |
| SCC | 32 | |
| Pathological grade of SCC (G1/2/3/4) | 8/20/4/0 | |
| Tumor size of SCC | 4.3 ± 2.2 (2.2–12.8 cm) | |
| Stage of SCC (I/II/III/IV) | 0/2/22/8 | |
| Therapy | ||
| Chemotherapy | 20 | – |
| Chemoradiotherapy | 8 | – |
| Surgery | 4 | – |
| Observation | – | 6 |
| Antibiotics | – | 4 |
SCC: squamous cell carcinoma; y: year; TBLB: trans-bronchial lung biopsy; TBB: transbronchial biopsy