Abstract
Introduction: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the cytology results of both bronchial washing and post-bronchoscopy sputum specimens of patients suspected to have a type of malignancy.
Materials and methods: We collected cytological results of 954 patients (747 men and 207 women) diagnosed with lung cancer during the years 2002-2013. The symptoms that were more frequently reported prior to bronchoscopy were haemoptysis, chronic cough, dyspnea and chest pain.
Results: The following table illustrates the type of malignancy found in cytology tests
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Discussion: The most common type of malignancy in the population that was investigated was squamous cell carcinoma with a rate of 36,8%, followed by adenocarcinoma 34,3%. The patients that were found to have small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) were fewer (16,0%), while there are patients reported with other types of endobronchial lesions (12,9%) such as large cell carcinoma, benign tumors etc. About 60% of the male patients were smokers and 75% of them were heavy smokers (over 40 packs/year). About 45% of female patients were smokers and 20% of those were heavy smokers. The ratio between men:women was 3,6:1.
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