PRIMARY SARCOMAS OF THE LUNG - A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF 14 CASES

The clinicopathological features and immunohistochemical findings in 1 4 primary sarcomas of the lung collected over a 30-year-period are pre sented. This represents one sarcoma per 550 bronchogenic carcinomas un dergoing resection in this centre. The study group comprised six leiom yosarcomas, five malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours, two haeman giopericytomas and one epithelioid haemangioendothelioma. The majority of cases occurred in men (nine males: five females), with mean age at presentation of 54 years for men and 47 years for women. All leiomyos arcomas were seen in men, whereas malignant peripheral nerve sheath tu mours showed no particular sex preponderance. Leiomyosarcomas were lar ger tumours than malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours, mean tumou r diameter 15 cm (range 10-25 cm) compared to 9.5 cm (7-15 cm), respec tively. All leiomyosarcomas were situated intraparenchymally whereas t wo of the five malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours were endobron chial in site. Extrathoracic metastases were seen at death in two of t he six leiomyosarcomas but not in any of the malignant peripheral nerv e sheath tumours. Overall survival was 28 months although for the leio myosarcoma/malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour group alone surviv al was 8 months. Tumour grading appeared to be a more useful prognosti c factor than tumour site (endobronchial/parenchymal) or tumour size. Haemangiopericytoma and epithelioid haemangioendothelioma were associa ted with a more favourable prognosis.