RESUMO
Objectives: In support with field cancerization theory, some patients with lung cancer [LC] will also have synchronous invasive or pre-invasive bronchial lesions. In this cross sectional - analytic study autofluorescence bronchoscopy [AFB] was used to assess the prevalence of synchronous lesions in patients with LC
Materials and methods: All patients with abnormal sputum cytology underwent white light and AFB. From 335 patients with abnormal sputum cytology referred for AFB, lung cancer was detected in 91 patients [89 male and 2 female] of age [mean +/- SD], 67 +/- 8 years. 77 had squamous cell carcinoma [SqCC], 13 had adenocarcinoma and one patient with small cell lung cancer [SCLC]
Results: Synchronous lesions detected in 26 [29%] patients, 25 [33%] of patients with SqCC, one with adenocarcinoma, no synchronous lesion detected in one patient with SCLC. The most severe detected synchronous lesion was adenocarcinoma in one patient, Carcinoma insitu [CIS] in 4 patients, severe dysplasia in 3 patients, moderate dysplasia in 10 patients, and mild dysplasia in 8 patients. Synchronous lesions were more frequently detected in current smokers [35%], than in ex-smokers [20%] and non-smokers [15%]
Conclusion: Synchronous preinvasive lesions are frequent in patients with LC and AFB should be included in pre-operative evaluation of these patients