BRONCHIOALVEOLAR CARCINOMA - A REVIEW OF 14 CASES

Fourteen cases are revised of bronchiolalveolar carcinoma (BAC) diagno sed in our institution from 1980 to 1992. The time interval from clini cal manifestations to diagnosis was 5.13 +/- 6.01 months. The incidenc e of smokers in the population was 42.8%. Clinical findings were non-s pecific, except in three cases, consisting in bronchorrhea with more t han 100 ml. The most frequent site of the tumor was bilateral and diff use (71%), mainly in non-smokers. Endoscopic findings suggested a like ly malignancy in 21% of cases. Transbronchial biopsy was the most sens itive diagnostic method. Histological confirmation was obtained in 85% of cases. To note the possible association with Epstein-Barr virus (E BV), as demonstrated by the findings of EBV genome in the cases when t his study was performed.