AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SPUTUM EOSINOPHILIA AND CARCINOMA OF THE LUNG - A STUDY OF 549 PATIENTS

Authors
WRIGHT P KELLY P YAZBECK J CLANCY L HEALY T
Citation
P. Wright et al., AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SPUTUM EOSINOPHILIA AND CARCINOMA OF THE LUNG - A STUDY OF 549 PATIENTS, Irish journal of medical science, 163(11), 1994, pp. 492-493
Citations number
NO
Categorie Soggetti
Medicine, General & Internal
Journal title
Irish journal of medical science → ACNP
ISSN journal
00211265
Volume
163
Issue
11
Year of publication
1994
Pages
492 - 493
Database
ISI
SICI code
0021-1265(1994)163:11<492:AABSEA>2.0.ZU;2-6
Abstract
A prospective 11 year study of sputum cytology in 5,475 patients with respiratory diseases other than asthma or Loeffler's syndrome showed t hat carcinoma of the lung was the commonest single condition associate d with a sputum eosinophilia: it occurred in 68 (12.4%) of the 549 pat ients with pulmonary carcinoma. While clearly not a diagnostic finding , sputum eosinophilia should stimulate, in appropriate cases, a furthe r search for carcinoma. The cause or causes of the eosinophilia are no t known at present but the body's reaction to malignancy is a topical subject of study worldwide.