The diagnostic value of sputum and bronchial lavage cytologies in the lung cancers

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytologic and histopathologic results of sputum, bronchial lavage fluid, and biopsy materials and to compare their diagnostic Utilities especially in the patiets with malignity. Sputum and bronchial lavage cytologies and bronchial biopsies send to the pathology department of medical faculty between January 1996 and December 2000 were reevaluated by archive scanning. Malign lung cytologies and biopsies were compared with each other, as well as diagnostic distribution of cytology. Of the 1140 sputum cytology mate­ rial, 8.7% had malignant diagnosis. For the patient having single sputum specimen, the rate of malign diagnosis was 2.2%, and for those multipl sputum specimens 18.1%>. Of the 283 bronchial lavage material, 8.6% had malig­ nant diagnosis. The rates of malignant diagnosis were 6.8% and 24.2% for the patient having single lavage spec­ imen and multipl specimens respectively. The number of the patient with negative malignity for biopsy and posi­ tive malignity for sputum was 31 and similaly lavage positive and biopsy negative was 10. Cytologic diagnoses were negative in 41 of the 63 patients who having both each material (sputum, lavage biopsy) and diagnosed with biopsies. İn this patients when sputum and bronchial lavage are evaluated with together the rate of positive diag­ nosis was 34.9°/o, for sputum it self 30.2%> and for bronchial lavage 17.5%>. İn the 185 patient considered to have malignity positive results were obtained in the rates of 62.7%, 29.8%, 11.49% and 84.9% for biopsy, sputum, lavage and ali, respectively. As conclusion, repeated sputum cytologies increases the rate of positive diagnosis as much as 8 times, and bronchial lavage 3.5 times. Positive diagnoses will significantly increases if three diagnos­ tic methods are evaluated with together (p<0.001). İn the case of biopsy failure, the diagnostic importance sputum and bronchial lavage is further increasing.