Observations on uninodular bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. Report of 10 surgical cases

Background. This study reports 10 cases of uninodular bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma (BAC) operated on in the General Surgery and Organ Trasplantation Institute of the University of Parma between January 1st 1981 and December 31st 1995. Methods. Seven patients were males and three females, mean age was 65 (DS 11, range 37-75) and globally accounted for 6,4% of all surgically treated lung malignant tumors. Results. Hospital mortality was null; one patient was treated with assisted ventilation four days after surgery for respiratory insufficiency. Actuarial survival at 36 and 60 months was 48% and 36% respectively; survival rates were not significantly different at log-rank test from squamous carcinoma (46.2% at 36 months, 35% at 60 months) and adenocarcinoma (50.5% at 36 months, 34.3% at 60 months). The analysis of other series of licterature shows significantly higher survival rates at 5 years for BAC than for adenocarcinoma (55.6% vs 40%). Conclusions. Broader series are needed for statistical confrontation with other histological types by stage and grade. There is no evidence of peculiar prognostic or clinical features in this histological type of pulmonary malignacy, prognosis so far is in fact conditioned by the same factors of other non small cell lung carcinomas.